Next Phase in Facebook Reduction #ReduceFacebookTimeChallenge

I am now implementing the next phase in my Reduce Facebook Time Challenge -- turning off notifications. Although I have only been popping into Facebook at specific times and not camping out on Facebook, my phone was constantly letting me know that stuff was going on in Facebook. Not only would my phone zing, but that little icon on my phone would show the ever increasing number of unread notifications. Sounds ridiculous I know, but I found that highly stressful to see that huge number and ignore it, not to mention my phones constant zing they created. I had resorted to putting my phone on silent but then that rendered my phone useless for receiving calls. Vibration definitely didn't get it either.


So, this all brought me to the next phase -- turning off notifications. It was a weird emotional reaction as I tracked down every thing I subscribed to and either deleted the subscription or turned off notifications. Hard to explain it other than it was like throwing something away and anyone that knows me knows that throwing stuff away is very difficult for me. Which is another whole challenge that I am undertaking in my life. UGH! That one really is a tuffie and I have plenty of challenge there. Will talk about that in other posts and maybe in some videos. Perhaps that will help. Or not. LOL

So, why all this buzz and push to extract myself from the ranks of Facebook anyway? I mean EVERYONE who is ANYONE does Facebook, right? Maybe. But if everyone was jumping off a cliff to their death would I join them? I think not. So what is the bug up my...let's say instead, what is the bee in my bonnet about? A good friend of mine explained it this way -- the Zombie Apocolypse is upon us, but not in the way we think. He says if you look around at all the people that are superficially living walking around staring at their phones or roosting at the computer and interacting with their world only when forced to, ignoring flesh and blood people in their presence to click likes, and reshare, or chat, now THAT is a Zombie Apocolypse. And I have to agree with him.


The frightening thing is, I don't know how I let it happen because honestly, I went into Facebook kicking and screaming. I never wanted to be there in the first place but I did so because of.... are you ready for this..... PEER PRESSURE. OMG! Do you see what I just wrote???? A FIFTY YEAR OLD WOMAN SUCCOMBED TO PEER PRESSURE. WTH???? I know, that's exactly what I thought too when I came the shocking realization of what had happened. But in my defense, I had a LOT going on at the time it happened. I had an emotional break from my teenage daughter where she went to live with her Dad, my own Father was battling cancer and subsequently died, I moved 14 hours away from everyone and every thing I knew to follow my Marine husband to his retirement duty station -- in what turned out to be an awesome experience I must add -- it was NEW ORLEANS!!! More on that experience in other posts. The bottom line is, I flat lined. I had a form of depression, I wasn't working, and I got online and then found myself trapped in Hotel California. I got in but I never left. Well, NOW is the time to LEAVE and get OUTDOORS! And what better time to do that than Spring?

Yes, Spring has officially sprung and I am springing with it, out into the wide open world of REAL LIVING!

Ok, I guess this was a bit *rantish* -- is that a word? Sometimes I scare myself. LOL Hopefully I haven't scared you off and you'll join me again. In the meantime, get out there and LIVE and have a multidimensional experience.

Bright Blessings and Blessed Be
Rayven Michaels