I probably sound like a broken record talking about my social media (SM) purge but, this was literally the best thing I ever did because it was so draining mentally it turned into a physical drain as well.

I do miss seeing pictures and vacations and stuff of my friends but that literally was less than half my feed and I felt like I was just unfollowing people over-and-over again and it was people that I love dearly. I wanted to like my people, all the time, and it is scary how confident people feel behind a screen to argue and fight with others. I am all for an adult conversation and maybe even a disagreement but, it’s the way the disagreement is handled. I was bullied many times for writing my opinions. I was also unfriended for not thinking like some people. In the end does it even matter? Are you or I ever really going to change someone’s opinion because of some meme or fake news we share on social media? Let me be real, the answer is NO. So why do we try so hard and get offended when others think differently? If we preach equality and inclusion then we shouldn’t be so offended when our beliefs don’t coincide with everyone. We can still love one another without being pissed off all the time can’t we? I would like to think we can.

I don’t want to unfollow you because I love you and I want to see your family and the good things that are on there, but I don’t want to follow you if you are so darned negative and mad all the time.  It also kills me when people are like, “didn’t you see my Social Media post? Didn’t you see it to know that I’m engaged or had a baby or my “X” passed away etc.?” Really? Why is this information prevalent on SM? If you feel it’s important for people to know, can you call me, drop a note, email, send me an old school letter? Why does the 600+ “friends,” that you don’t even really know on your SM account have more importance than I do to know these things? Do you think that all I do is stalk your SM accounts because I have no life of my own? I want to know these life events but come on, I don’t want to be tied and locked to the screen so I can be involved in your life. If we are truly friends then let’s actually be friends. I have lost count with old “good friends,” that have said, “oh you didn’t see on my feed?” I’m like, “no, I don’t get on it much,” they walk away and the conversation is over. It is like they are offended that I didn’t see it there and I no longer need to know apparently. Some friendship eh? Walking away and making me go look it up on SM, no thank you, I was obviously not as important to you as you were to me…”weed” CHECK!

There was a point where I had like 1200 friends. Were they truly my friends, no, maybe under 50 were friends I actually wanted to catch up with and a closer 10-15 friends that I also may call on the phone and chat with. One day I just realized. Well, not one day it was over a long period of time, it was just one day I got smart, that I could be doing so many more things and sitting there eating and drinking and scrolling through somebody’s social media did not make me happy or feel accomplished.  One day I just got rid of it and forced myself to go 2 weeks and not activate it again. This was so hard. I picked up my phone multiple times for the first 2-3 days and had to tell myself to let it go. Then it got less and less and after that 2-weeks I didn’t even miss it. I found myself doing so many more things in my life including cleaning things that didn’t take precedence because I was online scrolling like a troll. The funniest part about this is that I had people text me and ask if I were mad at them because they did not see me on their friends list anymore. I also had a dozen or so people not even realize I wasn’t there anymore for 6-months to a year. I must have been a great friend to them for them to wait so long to even notice I was gone. Also a big eye opener to the amount of friends I actually had. I do have a small platform for my 20 family and friends in my life that I actually want to talk to. I barely get on it and I won’t add anyone that I wouldn’t call on the phone and catch up with. My feed is like 5 new posts every 1-2 weeks. It’s perfect. I don’t even get on it every week and I don’t care and I don’t miss it when I am gone because I honestly talk to these people more than what I see on their feed.

I will NEVER go back to being a SM junkie. It was too draining and made me feel inadequate and that, to me, is a waste of life in itself.