So you may not know, but I don’t particularly like Social Media and I especially do not like Facebook. Unless I have to go on it, I will avoid it all costs. But why? Social media is a huge deal, you can literally sell anything on Facebook, you can see what your friends are up to, see what local cats are up for adoption. But as much as I love knowing what Cats Protection is up to, I decided to quit.
So what happened to me when I left Facebook?
As you may have noticed, I love Instagram but I don't love Social Media. In fact I pretty much hate it, I miss the days where we didn't have it. But I still use it because I do also, like it. But not for the normally reasons.
I love Insta because I can control the content and follow nothing by positive and happy quotes and pictures and cat videos. But originally, I didn't really use Instagram, I used Facebook a lot, the endless scrolling to see what people were up to and wishing people happy birthday, seeing the news and what’s happening, getting all the buzz feed quizzes etc. Until one day, I scrolled on Facebook for 30 mins and just kept re seeing the same things over and over again and I realized that I had LITERALLY WASTED 30 minutes of my life looking at negative things. Because it was all negative, new articles about fear and terror, posts about peoples lives being the worst and dumb quizzes about what potato I am.
You are what you surround yourself with and what information goes into your face, greatly affects your action.
What you focus on creates your reality. If you focus on, read about, talk about, surround yourself with negativity, stress and drama. Your life will be a stressed out drama fest.
So I was inhaling the equivalent of mental junk food. I was literally going to Maccas everyday for 3 hours a day.
And that had to stop.
So I deleted the app.
But that wasn't enough, it was okay for a day or two, then I just started using the browser and found excuses to check Facebook in case it was "someones birthday" or in case something happened in the Crossfit group.
This went on for a half a year until I finally blocked it on my phone. Fully blocked, if you send me a Facebook post, I can't open it.
Then the detox started, the habit tried to get to it and I kept opening my browser. But it never worked. And I would be filled with a weird relief because I couldn't access my daily Maccas, like the choice had been made for me.
Detox lasted about a week, I checked Facebook once a day on my laptop but apart from that, I didn't go on it.
First thing I learned:
1. If something important had happened, someone would text me about it. Including stuff that happened in the social groups.
2. Being positive got a WHOLE lot easier. Because I wasn't being constantly bombarded with negativity.
3. I have no idea what is happening in the world and my life has only gotten better. Shit may be going down but I have no control over it so I live in my ignorance. Which gives me so much free brain space and time to focus on things I actually care about. Like spreading light, teaching people about consent, making people realize their worth. And again, if its important, someone will tell me.
4. I had so much time. Like.. All the time. I was so bored for a bit. Suddenly my days were so damn long and it was AMAZING. Because I filled that hole in my life with my friends, actually seeing them. We DO stuff! Even it is just hanging out and chatting about shit.
5. I moved on Instagram. I did. I moved onto insta a lot more because i changed my feed to follow my actually friends and GOOD VIBES only. I have no issue with this, I didn't quit Facebook to quit social media, I quit to save my soul.
So why didn't I delete Facebook?
Firstly, I love messenger, all of my communications are done through it.
Facebook is a wonderful tool to connect with people that aren't in your inner sanctum and its always nice to be able to check in with them. There is also a lot of history there, I have posts and blogs from my pasts that embarrassing as they are, I love to revisit to see how far I have come. I didn't want to lose that chunk of my life and I didn't want to become a hermit. I just didn't want to engage with the downside of Social.
It just wasn't for me on a day to day basis.
So if you are debating quitting some social ask yourself,
Do you want more free time?
Do you want to feel better about yourself and feel empowered?
Do you want to become a better person?
Because that’s what happened to me and I cannot express how happy I am now.