I was inspired by a blog post by an author who deleted her Facebook app from her phone. So inspired that I posted a quick blurb to my friends and family to get my contact information if they ever wanted something from me quickly. And then I promptly deleted my Facebook app from my iPhone.
The first morning I woke up and grabbed my phone out of habit. I love spending a few minutes catching up in the morning before hopping out of bed to begin the morning rush. I was lost. So, I played my rounds of Words With Friends that were waiting for me and then got out of bed.
Luckily, I chose to delete the Facebook app the night before my daughter and I were leaving for a 3-day Disney trip. In the 3 days, I was so busy and exhausted that I barely had time to think about checking Facebook even for a moment during the day. I had expected serious social withdrawals, but I hadn't had the time for them.
Each night, after my daughter fell asleep, I would log on via my iPad in the hotel. Certainly I was missing out on some great things, right? Amazingly, I was bored within moments and would quickly turn off the iPad.
I found myself recollecting the day I had spent living the good and the not-so-good moments, and I was only sharing them with my daughter in the moment. I had taken photos that were fun and others that were simply ordinary.
I hadn't spent the day clogging my news feed one photo at a time hoping for someone to "like" or comment on each photo. I also hadn't spent the mundane moments reading about other people's perceived awesomeness as I made my daughter sit in silence waiting for me to pay attention to her.
I was present in each and every moment of the day. It didn't matter how good or bad the moment was, I was there, and that mattered.
The real challenge, however, were the days that followed when we didn't have the constant entertainment at our fingertips... the days at home when we were not running around from the moment we wake to the moment we sleep. I was challenged at home knowing that I could walk into the living room to check on all that Facebook had to offer and "be back in a minute."
As much as I was plagued that I might be tempted to sit at the computer all day, I found myself more disinterested. I was getting up to clean house, check on blogging activities, or cooking. I spent quiet times at the computer working the blog or napping (because this pregnancy makes me extremely tired).
Heck, I even decided to put aside my fears of using my dehydrator to make fruit leather. I might have checked in on Facebook now and again, but I wasn't so drawn to it that I was itchy or twitchy without it. I was filling my time with more important things.
I'd get online again at night when kiddo was put to bed, and I found myself more drawn to Facebook. By the end of the day, something epic must have happened. But, I quickly became bored again. I'd post something for my friends and family to read. I'd check in to see if I missed anything important.
Then, I'd get back to blogging or meal planning... something truly constructive and real.
The truth is, none of us lead such extraordinary lives that we need to be on Facebook constantly. I admit, even things I had posted were rather mundane. I was living more deliberately, more presently. I was accomplishing more and more, and thinking less and less about how each photo I took should be posted for your viewing pleasure.
Instead of posting thoughts or pictures haphazardly, I was saving up for an end of day post if I felt so compelled. I might throw in a mid-day post at a break in the day. But, everything was deliberate. A set of photos or a special photo from the day. Instead of random thoughts throughout the day, or even little "vent" posts, I simplified.
Simplified. I actually simplified my life by having fewer distractions. Fewer distractions that, in general, weren't really worth the time they took away from other, more important things. I wasn't constantly telling my daughter "wait a minute" or "I'm busy."
I can easily catch up on your social media posts at the end of the day, but I can't get any of these moments back in my real life.
I'm glad I broke up with my Facebook app as I'm much more compelled to DO something constructive with my time. I'm not looking at hundreds of pictures or videos of things you found on the internet, or reading about the horrible things going on in the news.
Okay, maybe I'll be more disconnected from the news now, but is that really so bad? Not really - there's not much reported on good things and I wonder if much of my negativity is driven by all the negativity I see reported or posted on social media. I'm accomplishing things, being present and living for my family, and I'm not constantly distracted.
So, what do you think? Do you think deleting your Facebook app could make you happy?
This post originally appeared at Ivy's Variety on 11/29/15
Ivy B
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