I Couldn’t Do It – Update

I was asked today “how did your experiment go?” and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

The “experiment” was giving up on Facebook. I shared on Monday  I was breaking up with Facebook.

In an attempt to test myself.  To see if I was too reliant on it.  To see if I depended too much on likes and comments.  To see how much time I really do WASTE on it.  To see if I would feel better after walking away.

You want to get a conversation going?  Ask people if they would be willing to quit Facebook and why.

I said on Monday I was tired of the negativity. I was tired of living life for a post on social media.

I am proud to say I went the full day without it.

I didn’t scroll my news feed mindlessly.

I didn’t like or comment.

I didn’t share a post.

I didn’t share my healthy food choice or workout routine (smile)

I didn’t share a meme that made me laugh or cry.

I WANTED to.  But I didn’t.

And it was HARDER than I expected.

Like New Year’s Resolutions. You get fired up for change in the first day, and then something draws you back to the bad habit you’re trying to break.

When I asked the question on Facebook “Could you give up social media?” surprisingly, most people said no, but they also said breaks were needed. I think that might be the best answer.

One day without it, did make me realize how often I reach for it, even if for no good reason.

At the end of the day – I missed the connection I felt with people I don’t normally get to talk to.

I missed it. Sharing and oversharing. (smile)

Who else would I be able to share the story of the flying spider trying to attack me? I’m not even kidding.

It came out of nowhere – ankle level to begin and then proceeds to seemingly FLY across the sidewalk directly in front of me.

Not cool spider. Not cool.

So – even though some days it’s more draining than others – (and with an election soon, I can’t see that going away anytime soon) I will not be breaking up with Facebook.

I know it’s going to be something I need to limit.

It was a good “experiment” to try. I am a bit disappointed that I couldn’t stick to it for more than a day and it was eye opening to realize it’s more of a habit than I thought.

Like so many other things in life – those things we try to give up every January 1st – it needs to come with moderation.

We need to be careful who we follow and what pages we like.  We need to avoid things that will upset us. NEVER read the comments unless you want to ruin your day. People can be so mean!

So, I guess I’m not strong enough yet to walk away.

I’ll keep you posted.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan