Day 1 of a Facebook Free Life
I've now spent nearly 12 hours as a recluse. I'm getting the shakes. Food has lost all taste. I'm hungrily eying my neighbor's dog. I've started speaking to my stuffed rabbits...Oh, wait...I've been doing that for years.
All told, it's not so bad so far, and I imagine it will only get easier as the days go on.
I have to admit, I wasn't at all prepared for the extent to which people would be shaken by my decision to leave facebook. I was prepared for the comments on my status about how I shouldn't leave, because how could we possibly keep in touch!? What I wasn't prepared for was going to a party and having everyone there greet me with, "Why are you deleting your facebook?" Suddenly, I began to feel like some kind of social freak. After all, why WAS I leaving facebook? I have to admit, most of my reasons may not make sense to other people. Everyone assumes I'm leaving because of addiction or a need for privacy, but that's not it. I mean, it's part of it, but not really the main thing. The fact is that facebook very often puts me in situations where I start to feel a little depressed.
Sometimes, it's because I see a friend, someone I'm not terribly close with but someone whom I care about, doing something very, very stupid. Now, if this were a close friend, or even a not so close friend, and they were calling me up or emailing me to discuss what they're doing, I would be in a position to offer advice and support. But when I just happen upon that information on their facebook page, it would be considered confrontational for me to throw my two cents in. As someone with a social worker mentality, it hurts me when I can't do anything.
At other times, I find myself looking through people's pictures or reading their statuses and getting a little jealous of things they have or things they do. And needless to say, that's not healthy.
The reasons go on. If I had more time for it, I might list them all, but I don't, so I won't. So, there it is. I'm off of facebook, at least for now. Maybe one day, if something changes, either in me or elsewhere, I'll come back. But not today and not tomorrow.
Now if you don't mind, I have a dog cooking.
All told, it's not so bad so far, and I imagine it will only get easier as the days go on.
I have to admit, I wasn't at all prepared for the extent to which people would be shaken by my decision to leave facebook. I was prepared for the comments on my status about how I shouldn't leave, because how could we possibly keep in touch!? What I wasn't prepared for was going to a party and having everyone there greet me with, "Why are you deleting your facebook?" Suddenly, I began to feel like some kind of social freak. After all, why WAS I leaving facebook? I have to admit, most of my reasons may not make sense to other people. Everyone assumes I'm leaving because of addiction or a need for privacy, but that's not it. I mean, it's part of it, but not really the main thing. The fact is that facebook very often puts me in situations where I start to feel a little depressed.
Sometimes, it's because I see a friend, someone I'm not terribly close with but someone whom I care about, doing something very, very stupid. Now, if this were a close friend, or even a not so close friend, and they were calling me up or emailing me to discuss what they're doing, I would be in a position to offer advice and support. But when I just happen upon that information on their facebook page, it would be considered confrontational for me to throw my two cents in. As someone with a social worker mentality, it hurts me when I can't do anything.
At other times, I find myself looking through people's pictures or reading their statuses and getting a little jealous of things they have or things they do. And needless to say, that's not healthy.
The reasons go on. If I had more time for it, I might list them all, but I don't, so I won't. So, there it is. I'm off of facebook, at least for now. Maybe one day, if something changes, either in me or elsewhere, I'll come back. But not today and not tomorrow.
Now if you don't mind, I have a dog cooking.
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