Why I'm Quitting Facebook

Why I’m Quitting Facebook 

(An extended version of my Logan Daily News article that was published this week)

            Two and a half weeks ago the members of our congregation at Antioch Alliance Church were challenged to participate in 21-days of prayer and fasting. In addition to praying for our church’s new vision statement, “Finding the Lost, Equipping the Found”, we were also encouraged to pray for our community, our families and any strongholds that we were facing in our personal lives.

            The idea of what “thing” to give up came almost too quickly to me. As resistant as I was to giving up this part of my life, the decision to take the 21-day break from Facebook would inevitably change everything in my life that I’d been struggling with and praying about over the last few months.

            Throughout the past three weeks it could not have been made anymore clear to me that at the conclusion of this 21-day fast, the best thing I can do for myself and for my family at this point in our lives is to remain off of Facebook. This is incredibly humbling and somewhat embarrassing to admit, but I honestly think that there are far more people who can identify with this than would readily admit.

            There was a lot of consideration that went into the decision to give up Facebook at this point in our lives. I talked to Rob about it on several occasions and while there are things that I LOVE about Facebook, the changes I have seen in our family, and especially in myself and Benjamin, far outweigh the benefits of being online. I have taken Facebook breaks before but this 21-day fast we just completed was the longest I have been offline in the social media world in years.

             That being said I want to share with you all the reason and the insight behind my decision.

This is why I am quitting Facebook:

1.     I am more relaxed and less stressed: This is the first change I noticed after starting the fast. After the first few days offline, an indescribable sense of peace came over me that I had not felt in years. I was less irritable, I had more patience and my body actually physically felt less tense.

2.     I have seen a huge change in my children: For months I had been praying about some pretty unsettling behavior from our toddler. I was constantly stressed out with him and spent more time trying to correct his behavior than trying to figure out why he was acting out. I was at the end of my rope and I was angry all the time. I was turning into the kind of parent that I didn’t want to be. Within the first week of me giving up Facebook, it was literally like a night and day change in him. Or maybe it was the change in me.  It was like every prayer that we had been praying for months had suddenly been answered in regards to our child. He was so much less stressed and I could see in his eyes how me being offline and simply giving him my undivided attention was changing him.  We now have silly dance parties, he helps me with meal preparation, we take the time to do arts and crafts and we spend so much more time simply interacting and playing. He smiles more, he laughs more and he is so much more affectionate. Our relationship has changed more than words can ever express and that in and of itself is enough for me to give up Facebook for good.

3.     I have more time: I have never calculated the amount of time in a day that I spent on Facebook, but my computer was always open no matter where I was or what I was doing. I find now that I have time to sit and enjoy a morning cup of coffee and a conversation with my toddler. I have time to call a friend or spend an hour on the hammock with my daughter. Housework is caught up and I have time in my day to get everything done that before I felt like I never had the time to do.

4.     I am free from the weight of constant comparison: Perhaps one of the most profound things that God has shown me in my absence from social media is how much I was comparing myself to others and constantly seeking the approval of others. While I love seeing the goings-on of my friends and family, I never realized how much the constant news-feed was making feel “less-than”. I love the freedom of being able to go about my day and not feel guilty that I may not be doing everything that I’d see other moms doing.

5.     My husband has noticed a change in me: The fact that my husband has told me on several occasions how much of a difference he has seen in me since the beginning of this fast has spoken to my heart more than anything. My husband is my best friend and he deserves the best of me that I can possibly give him. If quitting Facebook means having a better attitude, feeling less stressed, having a better relationship with my children and having more time to devote to my family, then it’s obvious to me the choice to be made here. God has shown me through the changes in myself and in my family that being offline can be such a life-changing blessing.  

One of the things I really struggled with was how much people have told me they are enjoying reading my articles. The most traffic I get to my blog and to my articles comes from Facebook and I don’t want to lose my readers! So… if you are enjoying the articles I have been writing, I would LOVE for you to “Follow” my blog. I only post a blog 2-3 times a month but I will post all of my Logan Daily News articles on here (2 articles per month) and then a few pictures and updates of our family and our kids as well. It’s easy to do, simply add your email address into the right sidebar at the top of this blog and click on “Follow”. You will then get an email when I post a new blog. (The more “followers” I have, the better my resume looks so you are helping me out, too! J )