Giving It Up (Again)

 I took the steps of deactivating my Facebook and Instagram accounts...again. I seem to have a love/hate relationship with social media. I think I participate in both because most people do and I feel left out sometimes when I am not using them. Plus, they keep me entertained when I am bored.

But the truth is that both Facebook and Instagram don't always have a positive influence on my life. In fact, I would argue that more often than not they have a pretty negative influence. Why do I willingly subject myself to something that regularly makes me feel frustrated, angry, and hopeless (courtesy of family/friends political posts on Facebook) or leave me feeling as if my own life is less than (courtesy of the beautiful, skinny, rich, moms of many I follow on Instagram)? 

I am an intelligent person. (At least I would like to think that I am.) Why, when I have the choice to not participate in something that makes me feel worse about my life rather than better, would I continue to subject myself to something like that?! If I am being completely honest, I do get an ego boost from 'likes' on my posts and I do notice that my readership goes up when I post the links to my blog on Facebook, but do either of those things really ad true value in my life? Do I really need you to 'like' an Instagram picture of mine or read these words after I have posted them to Facebook? The real answer is: no. Those that want to follow my life's journey will do so regardless of whether or not I post the link on Facebook. And I can put all of the pictures on this space that I would have put on Instagram as well. 

Moreover, what kind of example am I setting for my teenage children? If I want them to have healthy online habits, I need to be modeling them. When I am on Facebook and Instagram I find that (over time) I end up not doing so. Just yesterday, I was on my phone (on Instagram) when my daughter asked me a question THAT I GAVE AN ANSWER TO that I had no idea happened because I was so absorbed in my phone when she was talking to me that I wasn't even conscious of the conversation!!! When I got off of my phone and asked her why she was doing what she was doing she filled me in on our dialogue. I don't even remember it happening!!! How many times has that happened? How freaking crazy and scary. The insanity needs to stop. Now.

 The decision has been rattling around in my brain for a week or so, but now that I have actually done the deed I feel much lighter. (I always do.) And I know that the feeling of release will only feel sweeter the longer I am away from the influence I allow those social media sites to have over me. (It always does.)