While I Was Out | Reflections of my Facebook Free Life

I gave up my Facebook account (sans Messenger) for the Lent season so I could give my head and my heart a mental health break. Facebook is a dangerous beast; we forget that folks selectively post the moments they share and it's easy to fall into a jealous slump when it appears others have their shit together and you're over here not even sure where all of your shit is, much less how to get it together in an adult-like fashion. This break has been great for that.

What it's not great for is missing those big moments in people's lives that I would otherwise have ~~stalked~~ read about by now. Weddings have taken place, pregnancies undoubtedly have been announced (sigh), babies have been born, and loved ones (others' loved ones, not my own, I like to think I wouldn't hear of such losses via Facebook) have been lost without my knowledge. It caught me off guard when I learned some of these things this past weekend. I found out about them through Instagram which felt less personal and more distant. It also made me realize that I often scroll through some of those events with little thought or appreciation & occasional jealousy.

Taking that all into consideration, there's just 2 weeks left and I don't feel compelled to dig into my Facebook or reinstall my app. I can follow through to completion. I think this break has done a great job reminding me not to compare myself to others while also showing me just how much I feel part of a community when I am active. I've gotten more than a few messages asking where the heck I am lately, that people are missing Charlie pictures... we'll be back! On Sunday, March 27th, I will reinstall my Facebook app and try to figure out what's been going on while I've been away!

To mental health!
xo

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