Taking a break from Facebook

Life is too short to waste time on activity that isn’t enriching

I’ve decided to take a break from Facebook. I was away this last weekend and chose not open the app for those two days. But then I got back on Sunday evening and found myself wondering, ‘why not stay off it for longer?’

The truth is, I’ve been getting frustrated with Facebook lately. It’s become less about sharing our personal lives and more about projecting our political and religious views.

Which is fine.

People are free to use Facebook however they choose. There isn’t a right or wrong way. And I’ve done as much religious and political posting as anyone.

But here’s the problem: I’m not enjoying my time on Facebook anymore.

And so I feel like I’ll benefit from a break. I don’t know how long it will be for, or if I will be back at all. It just seems like the right thing for me to do.

I don’t like the feelings and thoughts that emerge within me seeing much of what appears in my newsfeed. And, to be clear, that’s my issue and not the fault of what people post. So I’m not criticising my Facebook friends for what they post! I’m simply saying I need to get away from it all for a while.

I will still cross-post my family pictures from Instagram, and there may be occasional reasons why I need to access Facebook. But, for the most part, I won’t be opening the app, scrolling through my newsfeed, or checking my notifications.

I will also remain contactable for direct messages. And I will continue writing here as well as staying active on Twitter and Instagram.

So I’m not going offline completely, I just need to take some time away from Facebook. And it’s not for any morally superior reasons or anything ridiculous like that.

I don’t feel like I’m better or worse than anyone for making this choice; it’s just something that I feel will be good for my personal health and well-being.

Life is too short to waste time on activity that isn’t enriching. And spending time on Facebook, lately, has stopped being an enjoyable and enriching use of my time.

We’ll see how long I manage to stay away!