It’s Been One Day Of Quitting Facebook + I’m Already Obsessed
Okay, so I didn’t 100% quite — I chose to *deactivate* my account, rather than *delete*… for now.
This has been something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time — partially because every time I go on Facebook, my newsfeed is filled with noise + it’s easy to get sucked into the mindless scroll, ++ partially because it felt rebelious ; ).
I first got my Facebook freshman year of high school — at the time, MySpace was the *hip* [+ I think only, unless we are counting Xanga, who had an Xanga account?!] platform for virtually connecting with friends. Facebook wasn’t as cool back then — I remember not understanding why people converted from MySpace to Facebook… after all, MySpace had a “play your fav song” feature [mine was Stolen by Dashboard Confessionals, in case you’re wondering!]. Regardless, I made the switch.
It’s been TWELVE years since I committed to Facebook [almost half of my life!?], + we’ve been through great times…
- #ALLTHEPHOTOS — those who knew me in high school [+ college] know that I was the queen of the camera — photos AND videos… mainly insanely weird//fun ones with my friends… + I freaking love the “Timehop” feature Facebook now has so that I can see these gems from the past.
- It’s given me a way to remember people’s birthdays! This is seriously life-changing.
- CHAARG might not have grown so fast if it wasn’t for Facebook. Facebook [+ of course all of our other social media platforms!] has given us the tools to share our mission, ++ connect with our community. Nationally, we use Facebook groups during FitPlans for advice//support, + Chapter-wise, we use Facebook groups for creating connection. Also, it’s an easy way to share all of our blog posts + photos from events!
- While I’d love for me to say, “it’s helped me keep in touch with people” — I don’t think that’s true. It’s definitely helped me know what’s been going on in people’s lives [+ vice-versa]… but, a *like* on a photo doesn’t mean I’m building a friendship [on the contrary, I feel like it gives me a false sense of mantaining a friendship].
- Curating events in my area — I wish I took advantage of this! I love knowing that there are so many weekend activities I can choose from in Chicago… but, I’ve yet to go to any that I’ve replied “maybe” to.
So, what prompted me to “take a break” from Facebook + what have I learned within this ONE day of zero mindless Facebook scrolls?
We are in control of our lives — what we put in our body, how long we stay focused, where we invest our energy, + how we spend our time. There is so much “noise” out there today that’s freaking distracting. ++ it’s not making me a better person.
I haven’t had the Facebook App on my phone for about six months, but I still went on it when I was on my computer [which, I’m on my computer the majority of the day…]. I never realized how often I turned to Facebook when I needed a “break” from work [this is coming from a person who is “barely on Facebook”] — yesterday, I typed in facebook.com THREE times. Like what?! I obviously know that I deactivated my account… I was just on autopilot. #scary
Anyways, will I be off Facebook forever? Probably not. But I’m enjoying this space. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I feel more rooted in reality. I feel like I’m spending my time in more productive + enjoyable ways. I feel focused. I feel present in the moment.
++ REMEMBER, IT’S ONLY BEEN A DAY! Let’s see what one month will teach me!
Do you want to join the challenge with me? Let me know! I’m still on instagram + twitter + email. ; )
++ Elisabeth
CHAARG is a health + fitness community on 50+ college campuses. We liberate girls from the elliptical ++ show them that fitness can [+ should!] be fun by partnering with local fitness studios, as well as creating our own FitPlans [virtual workout programs]. Our mission is to empower every CHAARG girl to become the best version of herself. Oh, ++ we have a CHAARG Shop that’s pretty cool, too. ; )