About a week ago, I deactivated my Facebook account.
Why?
For many reasons. Mainly because I was wasting too much time mindlessly scrolling through my feed, knowing that there was nothing there worth seeing. People indulging in shameless self-promotion and fishing for complements grew old quickly. I was also sick and tired of all of the political arguments. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a lively debate, but only if both parties are respectful and are willing to learn. The Facebook posts I was seeing were all political arguments where everyone was bashing everyone else who disagreed with them. It was depressing.
I didn’t have a Facebook account until late ’17. Up until that point, I had survived just fine without one, even through college and nursing school. The reason I finally gave in and got an account was so that I could stay current with things happening at work, since my unit’s social hub resides on their secret Facebook page.
Funny how being tired was the cause of both my joining and leaving Facebook.
For some, Facebook suits their needs and works well for me. This just wasn’t the case for me. In the week since I deactivated my account, I’ve only missed it a couple of times, and the feeling passed pretty quickly.
But what about the things I’m missing? I can follow the news through a variety of other websites. Staying current with friends? A combination of texts, emails, and in-person conversations remedy most of that (at least the friends that I really want to stay in contact with). Funny memes and other things I can find on other sites. I really spent a long time thinking about this – listing out potential issues along with potential solutions.
Has deactivating my account suddenly given me oodles of free time? Somewhat, yes. I am a talented procrastinator, and will always find alternate ways for wasting time. But since deactivating my account, I do feel as if I have a bit more free time. I am currently in school, and so I have a bit more time for homework. I have more time to read books, a passion which has fallen by the wayside in favor of other activities. There is now more time to pursue things which bring me joy.
Will I ever reactivate my account? I doubt it. Facebook is all right for some, but I don’t think it’s right for me.
A Special Strength 