Recently I decided to take a break from Facebook. Not that I don't love the ease with which I can keep in touch with my friends. But over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that the more time I spend on Facebook, the unhappier I am with my life. Every time I log on, I wind up in a serious funk, wondering why I don't have what other people have.
I know logically that I am only seeing the cleaned-up aspects of my friends' lives. People generally don't post updates about their messy kitchens, socks left on the floor, the never-ending battle against the tumbleweeds composed of dog hair, temper tantrums, or marital disharmony. Facebook asks me to tell everyone "what's on my mind." Well, if I shared what's really on my mind, it wouldn't be socially acceptable.
There are so many good things in my life, and I find that by constantly comparing myself to others, I am making myself miserable. Perhaps if I were in a happier mental state to begin with I would find pleasure again in goofing off on Facebook. Right now, with the stress of living in a hotel room, worries about home buying, having to adjust to a new place, and, of course, trying to be a good wife and mom, I don't have any extra energy to spend on anything negative in my life. Even if that something is unintentionally negative. Maybe once things settle down a bit I will log back on. For now, though, I am de-friending Facebook.
I made the same decision a few months ago and am so happy I did yet. Yes, it's a pain when my sister asks, "Did you see the nursery pics?" and I have to remind her I quit FB so she has to email them to me...
ReplyDeleteBut not having to deal with the constant barrage of "My life is so awesome that you could never hope to compare" makes it totally worth it.
And hey, if people want to know what's going on with us and our families, they can read our blogs! Isn't that why we started them in the first place?
Exactly! People managed to share what was going on in their lives before FB. Plus in an email or blog post I can be more upfront and honest about what is really going on in my life.
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