Well I did it. When I set out on this challenge to be off facebook for a month, I knew it would be a challenge for me. Part of me didn't think I could do it. More than surprised by my success, I'm encouraged by everything I've learned by ridding myself of this.The first day I got off facebook, I wanted back on. I wondered what everyone was doing. I wondered what I was missing. I wondered what conversations I'd be left out of...which birthdays I wasn't being notified of...if anyone had invited me to an event. I missed everything...even the game invites! I almost broke a couple times, but I made myself busy and moved forward. The next day my urgency to be back on was less...then the day after that, even less. The further I got away from facebook, the better I started feeling. It was bizarre since I never thought I held facebook to such high regard. Suddenly I started learning things, important things, about my life...my discipline...even the lies we convince ourselves are truth.
1. Facebook has nothing to do with being social. I was born social. I'm an extrovert in nearly every sense of the word. I love people. When I got on Facebook for the first time, I thought it was the perfect outlet for me to keep being social, even with the people I didn't see. The longer I was on it, the more it began to replace what's actually being social. Sitting at a computer or starring at your phone and typing a witty comment is NOT social. Arguing politics, parenting, church or whatever else with a bunch of people you may or may not know on a comment stream is NOT being social. Wishing a person a happy birthday with a comment on their wall full of emojicons is NOT being social. Ultimately, in real life, you are sitting on your ass staring at a screen. IN REAL LIFE...you are only interacting with the device in your hand. For years I convinced myself it was me just doing what I do best. I cheated myself out of thousands of REAL LIFE interactions. Facebook is about the furthest thing from social. You wouldn't know it until you left. So maybe we all should.
2. The amount of time I gained when I left fb was startling. Suddenly I had hours to fill. I was in denial that I had spent as much time as I had on fb, but I did. Soon I was getting things done. Reading, writing, talking with my husband, playing with my kids. I was running errands and not putting things off. It sounds so ridiculous that I was allowing fb to take up so much time, but I was! I'm beyond grateful to have that time back.
3. Its a joy to be present. Present in conversation. Present in my home. My nose isn't buried in a phone reading my never ending news feed. Being present in REAL LIFE is right.
4. I love not knowing what's happening in your life. I've gone to so many parties, dinners, nights out, church events...and I'm able to ask my friends what is happening in their life. I can no longer use the phrase "oh I saw that on facebook"...now I get to ask and hear it out of the mouth of the person who experienced it. Can't tell you how major that it for me. This is being social...my personality thrives on it and I feel every bit of it.
With all this said, I'm still not back on facebook. Not sure I'll ever be. Life is good where I'm at.
XO
Lindsey
