On July 4 2012, I declared independence from Facebook! I now have a new reason to celebrate Independence Day!
This is huge! I want to share why I made this decision.
I was first introduced to Facebook during my first week of college in 2005. Quickly, Facebook became the primary way I communicated with friends, kept tabs on people I didn’t trust, and expressed my thoughts and feelings. In fact, my husband and I used to flirt and ‘poke’ each other on Facebook before we got together. Through my entire adult life, Facebook has played a big role. Too big. I felt like I was living two lives. In fact, I was. A huge chunk of my life has been spent with Facebook open in the palm of my hand. And I have allowed myself to stop living in the real world in order to putz around in a virtual world. The problem went deeper than that though. I began to feel so insecure. What will people think about this comment? What will people say about this picture? What will people think if I ignore them? What are my ‘friends’ up to? I began to compare myself to other people at an unhealthy level. Every single day. I didn’t even know what I wanted for my own life anymore. I saw that so and so was pregnant, so I felt jealous. I saw that so and so bought a new car, so I started hating my old one. I saw that such and such couple had a professional photo shoot that made them look so in love… and then felt insecure about my own marriage. This person is in better shape than I am. This person is a better wife than I am. This person has the family I want. This person has the job I want. I became absolutely consumed in wondering what people thought about me and how I could make myself look “better”. I felt so lost.
Then, a few days ago, as I was driving in my car, it hit me. I have the power to stop all of this. With one click, my self-loathing, jealousy, and bitterness can begin to heal. I know that I need to find my identity completely in God. I know that I need to spend less time keeping track of other people on Facebook and more time living my own life. I’m not even real friends with 2/3 of my Facebook friends, so why in the world would I let their lives (that I’m not even part of) determine the choices I make? It sounds so crazy now that I’m typing all of it out. It sounds so immature, like something an insecure 9th grader would do to fit in.
The bottom line is, I need to figure out who “me” is and I can’t do that as long as Facebook is a part of my life. I am so excited to see what my future holds! I am excited to get back into church, faithfully ministering to others and soaking up the blessings of fellowship. There is something else I can’t really get into at the moment over the internet (if you’re interested, message me). Let’s just say it involves being where God wants me to be. I am so thankful for Jesus and I want to be in the loving fellowship of other believers!
Do you use Facebook or other social media outlets? Do you feel that you stumble because of them? Do you waste too much time with them?
I agree with this. I agree and started to notice these things too in my own life. Always trying compare our lives to other people and is not healthy. You end up loosing yourself.
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