Facebook Rehab

I have for a while now been asking myself, how can I be better? I think everyone should always strive to be better tomorrow than they are today. I wanted something BIG that would make an impact quickly and not over time simply because it is easy to give up on things that require you to preserver to see results and while thats probably something I should work on as well, for now Id like to coddle my sweet motivation to better myself.  I decided the number one thing that would impact me in every aspect, better mom, better wife, better friend, better person, better blogger is to get off Facebook. Im not a 100% against social media, I think it can be very healthy and I also think its 100% healthy to get out how you feel, what your thinking and updates in your life. It makes you feel like your life and the things you do in it mean something to be able to share it with others and since we don't live in an age where Ill be inviting anyone over for tea time in my non-existent parlor any time soon, it is understandable that we have become addicted to these sites. Thats really a problem in itself though.

My preteen niece was visiting this week and Im telling you it was an eye opener to see how bad its gotten. I challenged her to explain her relationships with each person on her friends list. She didn't know 50% of them and only talked to about 25% of them in person which being school aged she is still in an environment where she sees them somewhat daily without much effort. Yet when I started doing the same analysis of relationships on my own social media sites I found that I had sent a quick message or comment a few dozen times in the past few months to someone whom I consider one of my closest friends but I literally cannot remember the last time we really spoke on the phone or in person for that matter!

It doesn't stop there though, Im ashamed to admit that the first thing I did this morning was grab my phone and started browsing Facebook. I could've went out and started my husbands coffee or even kissed him good morning. I could've got a bottle ready for Liam or even went and read to him as he woke up. I could've responded to my dads text from last night or called my mom to thank her again for watching Liam, ordering Bryan dinner and caring for me while I was sick yesterday......but I didn't do any of those things....but I can tell you that one of my friends missed her alarm clock this morning, someone is tired of their boring day thats barely started, and that another person I know only from high school is "off again" in their "off again/on again" relationship. All so many small things but all things that add up to improve my life and the relationships in it!

On a typical day I probably browse Facebook a few dozen times and I'm over the missed opportunities. I also really love to blog about Liam and our family happenings but often find its easier to post a quick picture with a little quibble about Liam crawling than to sit and really type out a beautiful memory and the end of the night. I also heard recently that 80% of people use their phone while watching TV, which I laughed at.....while watching TV and using my phone.

I cannot obviously just quit Facebook, I actually do use it for promoting my book business and making connections in that way. I also belong to a few groups that only exist through Facebook that have been a wonderful resource for me as a new mom. Plus lets just come out and say it if I cold turkey delete my Facebook I will fail and I will miss out on friend connections because not everyone has the same desire to cut out social media in their life. So to make it more realistic and attainable I have decided to log off on my computer, tablet and phone and only browse or interact on the weekends. I work on the weekends and spend a lot of the time away from both Liam and Bryan and so I feel that it would be the best time to use small breaks to "catch up" or send out whatever messages I need to. I would love to one day completely cut it out and only blog but for now I want to be able to just focus and devote my Monday through Friday to Liam, Bryan, My Family and Friends and bettering all those relationships which will in turn help me to better myself. After a month of this hopefully Ill be able to just walk away. :)