It's a funny thing, de-facing, because when something becomes a habit, it really becomes part of your MO...to avoid, escape. I'm not saying that it's "bad" to escape and find shelter from the storms of life. Some days and moments require that we take time out and away from the absolute crazy and vicious monotony, but as I expressed in my last post, facebook had become a bit more for me than a little "escape"...more like an obsession.
When you strip yourself of whatever it is that you've become dependent on, you go through withdrawals, right? I definitely experienced the effects of not being able to run to the MacBook to pacify my "boredom" or sudden urge to see what everyone was doing or talking about, or lean against the kitchen counter, iPhone in hand. My symptoms lasted for a few days. This wave would wash over me, at first every half-hour or so, and I had to literally verbally remind myself that facebook was no longer an option of escape, and that I would have to refocus. I had already established for myself that when I felt the urge to sit and veg on facebook, my alternate would be playing with my daughter, or reading a book, or scanning my list of daily priorities to see if there was something I could get done...or better yet, just be still!
Some surprising things began to happen as the days passed last week. In a few words, it went something like this...refocus, stillness, vision, clarity, freedom. Instead of being in facebook, I got my face in a book, and I got my face in my daughters face. I got my face in the Father's face and I spent time in prayer and stillness. I asked Him to refocus my thoughts and my vision...
The power of facebook is a very strong force...for some of us. It becomes more than just posting your thoughts. We weren't made to be so obsessed with ourselves and constantly "aware" of our image. The prospect is life-sucking. I could write a whole post on this topic alone. I will..later.
For now, I am facebook free. It wasn't easy, but I have no regrets...yet :) The only thing I really miss at this point is seeing pictures of the faces I so love...my sisters, my nieces, friends...but hey, there's always instagram!
2 comments:
hi! i'm signing in with my husband's blog, which i think has been dormant for some time. i found you via momastery. thanks for sharing your thoughts; this post really resonates with me. i got off facebook when i was pregnant for the first time, mainly because i wanted to control who found out about my pregnancy. but i also knew i NEEDED to free myself from the facebook mentality i'd adopted over time. i'd been living out my life through facebook instead of just living my life. i was constantly filtering everything real through the question of how it would appear on facebook, a largely unreal forum. i also noticed that the people i thought about most (and whose opinions i considered EVERY time i posted ANYthing) were people i didn't like or was jealous of. sort of like how dave ramsey says: "we buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like." so i was actually posting and catering and showing off to (in a huge way, idolizing/living my life for) those people. it was consuming and somewhat exhausting and it usually left me feeling empty--yet craving more. so gross. i thought my de-facing would only last a couple months, but it's been four years and i love being facebook-free. i feel like i used to walk around in this sort of narcissistic fog or something, and de-facing burned off the fog. facebook is such an amazing tool for reconnecting with people and sharing information, but it can SO EASILY become an idol. it was a huge one for me, and it produced other idols in my life. i know that if i got back on at this point, i could handle it way better than i did four years ago. but i also know i'd lose the advantage i have on reality/time with my family and friends. good for you for taking a break from it! i think that's so healthy.
Wow! I am beyond blessed by this response to what I thought must just be my pure insanity... You have beautifully encapsulated my heart and thoughts on the matter...exactly!!!! I am so grateful for the confirmation in my spirit! Thank you!
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