Facebook: It’s you not me
This was originally published on my old blog www.cyntheology.com
Facebook and I had to take a “time out”. It was getting to the point where we were spending too much time together and not in a healthy way.
I admit I am technology addict. Part of it is because of my job. I work as a software consultant with clients in almost every geographic location, staying connected via the internet is practically a job requirement.
The other part of being a technology addict has to do with me and my desire to always be informed. I’m always up-to-date on current events and new trends. The internet is a place where I find crochet inspiration, motivation to continue towards minimalism, news, gossip, pictures of cute kittens, and people with goals like mine. The internet can be a great place. I’ve found some great ideas and inspiration. I can honestly say in some ways my life is better because of the internet.
Then there is Facebook.
What started out as a way to keep in touch with people has now become a place that just saps my energy.
Facebook has become the place for venting, ranting about anything gone wrong. Lines are too long, flight was missed, an order was messed up, a stranger didn’t wave back at my baby, and don’t get me started on the current political environment.
I’m glad to have so many friends who are very interested in politics, because it shows they care about what is going on, however lately it has become nasty and hateful on both sides. I’m not saying I am blameless, I’ve posted my share of political memes and ranted about life’s major injustices, but the vileness of what is being “shared” has reached a whole new level.
What I noticed though was the more time I spent on Facebook the more angry/depressed/helpless I started to feel. Even if I woke up in a good mood, it didn’t take before I logged into Facebook and saw something to bring my mood down. After a while I decided I had enough!
So I decided to take a “time out” or vacation from Facebook. And really only Facebook.
I was still on Instagram. I still read my favorite blogs. I still read the news. I still participated in my favorite forums, but there has been logging into Facebook.
Do you know what? I had a pretty good month. I was still keeping up to date on all the news and blogs I normally would. I still kept in touch with people via text, phone calls, and email. I even sent some snail mail!!
Life went on and it was somewhat sweeter. I found I had more time to do more things that I liked. I crocheted a little more and designed a new yoga mat bag. I decluttered more, got rid of several stacks of paperwork. Read a couple of books and forced my husband to play cards with me. Honestly there was very little of Facebook that I missed.
I thought about deleting my Facebook account completely, but I also know that isn’t the right answer for me. I’m not an all or nothing type person. I still love seeing all the pictures of my friends and family. I still love being able to keep in touch with people on the other side of the world. I still love all the crochet and yoga inspiration I find on Facebook, I just love not being on it all the time.
When I get back on it, as of this post I’m still not logging in, I plan to use it more “infrequently”. This falls more in line with my constant quest for less. A more minimalist lifestyle. Everyone’s definition of minimalism is different. To me it means keeping things in my life that have purpose. Facebook is one of those that still bring purpose in that it allows me to keep in contact with people I care about. The problem comes is separating out all the things on Facebook that have no purpose in my life (negativity).
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