Facebook used to be an easy way to keep up with friends. It would give you a reason to call up a friend when you saw exciting news posted online. It was a way that you could maintain a leisurely friendships with old friends and have much more to talk about when you ran into one another. It was/is the quickest way to share news, big or small, with your whole sphere of friends and colleagues in an instant.
Then, one day you realize how many hours, days, weeks and possibly months Facebook has consumed in your life. Gone are the days when one would day dream or reflect on the day when there was a lull in your schedule or you couldn’t fall asleep at night. Now we, or I should say I, tap my password into my phone and waste away time scrolling through Facebook. Is there anything revolutionary about whats going on? For the most part, no. I am passively looking at my friends lives, random quotes and a few poignant or pointless articles. Most likely if there is news, good or bad, someone will call or text me. Honestly, I prefer that. It feels more personal. I find myself not calling long distance friends as much as I should because I see their lives passively as I scroll through Facebook ten times a day.
Having Facebook on your phone is all fine and dandy until you have a revelation that you are completely addicted to Facebook. That every spare moment you have from looking at it first thing in the morning after waking up, to waiting for your child to be picked up from school, to in between your kids classes, to looking at it while cooking, to it being the last thing you do before bed and maybe once again in the middle of the night if you can’t sleep…I have a problem. Sometimes when I am out with friends and we want to exchange some information, I find myself perusing my phone without even thinking about it. I can’t believe I just admitted that. Sorry friends! Every time I say it, it gets easier…I have a problem. I get agitated when I don’t look at my phone. Did I miss something on Instagram or Facebook? Probably not. I have guilt for being distracted from my child because I am addicted to my phone. I find myself wanting to look at my phone sometimes instead of being engaged in the moment or needing to post a photo the minute I take it. This part I will miss. Yes, it will be much more cumbersome to email it to myself and then load it on to my computer at night, but I will survive. I know it. There comes a time when enough is enough.There I have said it. I AM ADDICTED TO MY PHONE, but no longer. I am committing to detoxing my time on social media apps on my phone by wearing my new “myintent” bracelets I just ordered on my wrist to help remind me. So what words am I going to live by in 2016….Discipline and Presence. I am doing this today because I want to be more present for the holidays. To focus more on family and friends. To not be distracted or enticed by my phone. To become more engaged in the moment. I want to be proud of myself for logging on to my computer once a day and seeing all the best news from my friends. I want to allow my mind to day dream, to be more creative and to be okay being bored. I want to want to call my loved ones more often to share what’s new in our lives. I know it sounds silly, but I am excited for life without Facebook on my phone although I will miss chatting with you all multiple times a day. Mixed emotions but it had to be done.
See ya Facebook mobile!