Why Quitting FaceBook for a Month Will Make You Happier

Here’s the drill: you meet someone and have decided they’re the most wonderful human being in the whole universe. Not even Mother Theresa could be more wonderful. Several months later, you realized they’re not really THAT wonderful. Mother Theresa was miles better.

The upshot of it all was your wanting space because their presence had been overwhelming. It’s hard trying to recapture the spark that once ignited such connection.

This happened to me and FaceBook.

What started to be a typical day turned into one of the most pivotal moments since the introduction of sliced bread: all the messy updates in my news feed made me question whether mankind has a future.

Deactivating FaceBook for 30 days was inevitable. Here are four thoughts for generations to come:

Distance reveal things for what they really are
Deactivating for a month will make you realize everyone had become too ‘perfect’ in their FaceBook world they’d rather be present in it  regardless of the energy-sapping posts they’re exposed to daily  than leave it and face the real world, where everything requires hard work to control the illusion of perfection.

The world of FaceBook is littered with anti-reality filters: carefully presented images, choice of words, self-serving hashtags, fictitious relationships, etc.

For one thing, starting a weight loss/diet journey is easy by posting about it. For another, ‘feeling happy’ can happen instantly by including it in any of your posts.

The danger of these being instantaneous in FaceBook is the eventual heart break from the realistic results that have unrealistic beginnings. 

How come you’re still feeling sad, after posting about moving on from an Ex, with ‘feeling happy?’ Why do you still want to drown yourself for being heavy after checking-in in that gym?

To make matters more distasteful, you’ve let everyone know.

It’s rude to check FB in real social gatherings
Imagine inviting a couple of friends to an intimate dinner, with the goal of catching up, only to notice them being more invested, attention-wise, on their phones than your supposedly awesome trip in Boracay. Before you know it, you’ve unknowingly waged war against FaceBook.

Your chance of winning is you have no chance.

You lose by default, as going against FaceBook is practically like being David fighting Goliath — with his equally sinister twin sister.

When you deactivate, this scenario will be commonplace.

As soon as you’re done taking a trip down the memory lane, feeling immense jolts of guilt from reminiscing all the occasions where you’ve shamelessly checked your phone while in a convo, you will start to question everything about life.

Your awakening had just begun. 

Friends will go looking for you and it will feel good
To quote Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill, Vol II: ‘‘I roared. And I rampaged. And I got bloody satisfaction.’’

While it’s in our nature to look for those who have gone missing, childish games like trying to make everyone miss you by disappearing is as old as your dusty VHS player with Tarzan X still inside it.

But when people were suddenly following me in Instagram, contacting in Twitter and liking Google Plus posts, it was as though a bulb lit inside my head.

So, this is how you get to make them follow you in other social networks?

The best bit is getting that rare chance to show them different sides of you outside of FaceBook; creativity in Instagram, unfiltered thoughts in Twitter and being multi-dimensional by mindless sharing in Google Plus.

Absence breeds freshness
Going away for a month will make you forget all the stuff people have been sharing in their timeline, may it be positive or not (well, except for some truly whiny and obnoxious ones).

Remember the first few days at school, when everyone is behaved, but deep inside were so excited to get to know everybody?

Going away for a period of time and returning will feel the same, making deactivating a rather rewarding experience.

Final Notes...
* You will get to that point where going away will come naturally. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.

* Look at Neo after he’s taken the red ‘truth of reality’ pill to help you decide.

* It will hurt like a bitch if you don’t get the reaction you will be expecting, so don’t expect anything.

* Access is the enemy: delete that app, don’t get too happy when there’s fast wifi.

* The 3rd day will be the hardest. After that, you’ll be alright.

* Time to get active in that ghost town you once called Google+. That default cover is so stale.

* You will be SO proud of yourself after. You have passed the test of the Ring.