Today is Day 3 of a self-imposed Facebook/Messenger hiatus of 40 days — and man, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Right now I’m listening to my favourite radio program, and I’m writing this blog post as a partial distraction to keep me from posting on Weekend Mornings’ associated Facebook page.
I’m doing this in order to cut down on the amount of negativity that pours into my psyche multiple times a day as I scroll through the Facebook newsfeed.
I have deleted Facebook and Messenger (because it’s a slippery slope from the latter to the former) off both my phone and iPad. Aside from a slight bobble yesterday when a “book-building” client forgot to use email and/or the phone to contact me, I’ve been staying away. I will have to check in every so often to get info for Zoom events I’ve already registered, but the newsfeed scrolling and posting are off-limits.
The situations to the south have been really hard on the head and the heart, and it’s only going to get worse over the next few weeks. As an exceptionally-sensitive person (an empath), there’s a fine line between being informed and being overwhelmed. It’s easy to ration TV and radio, but with Facebook it’s trickier to control the flow.
Did I mention this is hard? 😉
I’m missing the friends with whom I interact only on Facebook: my Walden-related friends; the sharp wit and wicked humour of my former history professor; the aforementioned radio show community; and so many more. But once the withdrawal wears off, I’ll be fine.
October is my favourite month of the year. As someone who loathes winter, I most look forward to March, but October and I simply resonate.
This October is book-ended by bright and beautiful Full Moons as I begin my annual turning inward for a month of gratitude, reflection, and connection. I plan to use the respite from Facebook distraction to — among other things — focus on one writing challenge (TeachWritetober) and prepare for another (NaNoWriMo).
I am also hoping to connect more with people I care about via Starbucks dates, telephone, and good old-fashioned snailmail. The goal is to be more mindful and less mindless.
My Instagram feed is full of beautiful posts by artists and craftspeople, photographs, and glimpses into people’s lives, and is much easier to curate without hurt feelings. So I am still on Instagram, and — obviously — I’m still blogging. So I’m still partially connected.
It’s the classic Canadian compromise. 🙂
