Three Weeks Without Facebook

November 20, 2015; I deactivated my Facebook account. My husband and I were headed out of town to get a start on our Christmas shopping and I decided that I wasn’t fully in the moment with my family at times because I would have my phone out checking Facebook. GW said it was a habit and he was completely right – a very big habit that became an addiction that I never really noticed until I deactivated my account. Yes, deactivated not completely deleted yet as there are photos I want to download of mine before I completely leave Facebook world. I am, however, extremely proud of myself for NOT being on there for three weeks. I admit that I tried to just not use the app and then I found myself logging in under Safari. If I didn’t use the app it wasn’t really cheating right? I mean, I had to really “work” at getting in the site since I had to manually type my login information.

I see now how much time was wasted in the mornings catching up on what I thought I had “missed” while in slumber. Honestly, I didn’t miss anything. And three weeks away from Facebook I can tell you what I don’t miss. It’s hot, it’s cold, will it ever snow, ugh I’m over snow, politics, politics, politics, anti this, anti that, my feelings are hurt and the OH let me be the FIRST to tell what I know whether people want it told or not doesn’t matter because they just had to be FIRST in getting the word out and quite possibly and frequently the word put out wasn’t correct. I don’t like how “brave” people get while sitting behind a keyboard either and what they have to say about others and their oh so mighty opinions on every single subject out there and how people become experts immediately. I coined a phrase called – LOOK AT ME SYNDROME – for those who do not get enough attention at home who look for and sometimes create attention on a FB. A few minutes turns into half an hour then an hour. And in that hour I could’ve been up and done a load of laundry, been on the treadmill or watched the sun come up.

Facebook isn’t all bad. I have reconnected with friends whom have moved away or those I haven’t seen in many many years. It is also good for getting the word out about events and things to do. It is helpful for sales as well. However, it can be all too consuming. Next time you are out, look around at the people looking down at their phones and not engaging in the conversation with the people around them. Should I ever make the decision to step back into the FB world, my circle will be small and tight.

Delete the app, put your phones down and engage with the people around you! If it is that important, people will find you without an app.