My 13-year old daughter deleted her facebook account.  She said it was lame.  Noticing that she had 572 friends and couldn’t possibly know all of them, I asked her to go through and delete those she did not know.  She didn’t even pause.  She said, I’ll just delete the whole account.  No emotion.  No fear.  No worry of disconnect or loss of valuable contacts or information.  Delete, done, pour an apple juice, go paint nails.

I stood in the middle of the kitchen awestruck.

When did she get to be so powerful?

When did she get to be so bold?

Where on earth does that self-confidence come from?

I like Facebook.  I enjoy the pictures, the opinion’s of others, and staying informed about the activities of the lives of people that I know and barely know.  I get good advice.  I get quick responses when I need help.  I find lots of spiritual material to ponder.

I don’t like Facebook.  When I’m bored, I troll.  Usually when I’m bored, everyone else must be doing something awesome because there is nothing being posted.  It appears a wasteland and I become lonely.  If I get up in the morning to check in first thing, I waste 20 minutes of my life.  It makes me feel an undercurrent of stress.  If I’m not on, do I exist?  Doesn’t anyone like me?

I’m not bold enough to delete my account.  I am, however, creating boundaries.  Aside from the business of yoga, I’ve cut my facebook time to about 5 minutes when I just want a quick catch up to see how everyone is doing.  I’m skipping days.

I feel less stressed.  I have more time.  In fact, at 20 minutes/day I’m saving 121 hours this year.  Hours that I can be unplugged, reading, studying, and taking care of me and others.  My phone rang the other day.  A fb friend hadn’t “seen me” and wanted to talk.  It was a beautiful 20 minute conversation.

 

*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.