Last week I didn’t write a new blog post. But I’m betting most of you didn’t notice. Why? Mainly because we are all so used to the technological noise– new emails, blog posts, texts, social media posts.
My world had gotten a little too noisy. I desperately needed a break from online life, mainly Facebook.
You see I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.
Facebook is great for getting information from groups i’m a part of like MOPS, selling things on resale pages or keeping up with friends i don’t get to talk to regularly.
But it’s also a horrible time waster, and it feels like a game I’ll term “Comparison Candy Land.” It can sneak up on you– the tendency to compare your real life to someone else’s Facebook life. Sometimes it is hard to feel grateful for wonderful, ordinary days when so many are posting wonderful, extraordinary things– look what my husband bought me, look at my awesome vacation, look at how much weight i’ve lost, look at me and all my friends.
Even though I really do love my life, who can help but feeling discontent when seeing others Facebook-fake lives. And we know what we all post online is fake. Because no one posts about fighting with their husbands, credit card bills from vacations, weight gained or friends who have drifted away. It seems i’m not the only one who feels this way. Check out these other posts from ladies who aren’t enamored with Facebook and did something about it:
How Quitting Facebook Helped My Mental Health
How Quitting Facebook Radically Altered My Self-Esteem
So bad to my week off. I took that time away from my computer and invested it in other things: I finished 2 books on my reading list, started an online course i’ve had for a while, helped my hubby mow 1/2 the yard, knocked out a craft project and spent some time enjoying the quiet. In other words, awesomeness!
And as much as I loved my time away, I can’t figure out how to cut Facebook completely out of my life. Not with events listed there, business pages to update and group announcements I need to see.
Is there a way to keep the good parts of facebook and throw out the bad? That’s the balance I’m trying to find. So, these are 5 things I’ve done to take a step back from Facebook.
- Unfollow a lot of people. If I had a free night but wouldn’t go to dinner with this person, then why do I need to see what they are posting on FB?
- Only look at notifications.
- Delete the FB app from your phone.
- Set a specific time and time limit for checking FB.
- Turn off FB email notifications.
And now, I’m off to share this post on Facebook. See what I mean?
Do you all have any suggestions for me?