An experiment

Just before Thanksgiving, I decided to try a little facebook experiment. With the holidays coming I knew I was about to see a lot of posts that would make me uncomfortable, perhaps even angry, and I've been trying to live more positively lately. So, I decided to look at my facebook feed less often and post even less than that. No more updates on Henry's hilarious comments and questions. After all, the more I post, the more I look. I also began with the intention of not "liking" friends' posts; I ended up doing that some, though not as often as before.

I rather like where this experiment took me. I shared articles about autism and blurbs about our church's Advent schedule; I asked for prayers for Nance and for recommendations for an auto body shop. I stayed true to my original plan and posted nothing about Henry. I scrolled quickly past upsetting posts and blocked any advertisements. The results were good for me, though I could certainly cut back even more.

Here's what happened:

1. I found myself caring less about what facebook friends were doing and more about what I was doing. I think I had been so frustrated for so long, I was using facebook as an escape from my reality; in truth, though, it was a feeder of the frustration. And when I started focusing on my life again, I started looking for small ways to make a big change in my attitude.

2. I found myself less cynical. 

3. I didn't feel responsible for making people smile. So many people follow me because of Henry, and that is an honor, but they don't need to hear about him everyday.

4. I remembered what's necessary. Over-sharing is a nationwide (worldwide?) problem that has affected me too, unfortunately, and I needed this semi-break to help me remember.

One of the reasons I did this experiment was to see if I wanted to quit facebook altogether, a prospect I consider from time to time. At this point I don't think I will, but I definitely need to maintain this healthy (well, maybe not healthy, but better than before) distance.