There are many things that I enjoy about Facebook. I like connecting with people that I haven’t seen for a while, or that I might not otherwise connect with. I like hearing about life events – marriages, new babies, graduations, vacations, new jobs. I like being about to pray for or otherwise help people who are going through a tough time – illness, loss of job, death in the family. However, sometimes the benefits outweigh the burdens, and that is the point I have come to today. This is something I have thought about for a long time, and I just decided today was the day.

Here are my reasons:

5. Too many friends. And I really don’t mean friends. I have too many ‘friends’ on Facebook that I would not stop to talk with in the grocery store. Do I really want to share my life with these people?  I accepted most of the requests I received, and now I feel badly taking them off of my friends list.

4.Too much politics. There is too much politics on FB – and it’s only going to get worse as election time draws near. I really dislike hearing from both extremes. Yes, I could just hide these people from my feed, but I love most of them and I want to see the other things they’re posting. And rather than talk to them in person and find out what is behind those beliefs, I just start to dislike seeing that and want them to go away. I am particularly hurt when people post things that mock my faith – that stings. And though I usually understand where they are coming from, and I may even agree, when people are disrespectful of something that I hold deeply, it is hurtful. And I don’t always know how to respond in a rational way.

3. Too much drama. I had heard people say that FB had too much drama, and I never understood what they meant. Until the past couple of years. I have seen grown people act like they are still in high school. I have seen family members shame each other. I have seen angry people post ugly, passive aggressive messages (or even outright aggressive messages) without a thought of how that will look to others, or how it will reflect on their kids. I have seen people manipulate posts to hurt others. And unfortunately, I have participated in each of the things I have mentioned. Maybe I am just not healthy enough to use social media at this time. I know I am not healthy enough right now.

2. Too much time. I spend too much time on FB. I tend to be a semi-addictive type personality anyway, and I don’t want to miss anything! First thing in the morning, and last thing before bed, I am checking Facebook. I have even started thinking in “status updates’. How sick is that? I learned on vacation that I needed to enjoy the moment  before rushing to snap an iphoto and post it on FB. But that is a hard habit to stop, especially for this ADD girl. So since I tend to be all or nothing at times, I think my best choice for right now is nothing. At least until I learn some balance.

1. Too much in my life. There is too much going on in my life, demanding my time and attention, and I want to weed out any unnecessary distractions. I read an  article about a blogger who had a huge following, speaking to large groups of women, a leader in her circle, who decided to just STOP. She decided one day to DECREASE her circle of influence, and focus on the most two important circles: her family (her kids were still young) and her friends. I am not a famous blogger nor do I have influence over a large group of people. However, I have watched as my circles have gotten bigger, but my relationships have not gotten deeper. In a few instances they have – I have some amazingly wonderful women friends, and I am very blessed. But how much richer might my life be if I were to spend some of the energy spent on uselessness – material things, television, FACEBOOK – and used that energy in my relationships for good, even great things?

So as of today, my personal Facebook page in inactivated. We’ll see how long that lasts . . .