Giving up Facebook for lent: lessons learnt

So you may have seen in my LinkedIn posts that I was dared into giving up Facebook for Lent. I have worked on the principle that is Social Media is a modern-day addiction so I, as I have many other times, late at night, at the end of an evening socialising...ahem..said "how hard can it be?" and accepted the wager.

Lent as always starts on Ash Wednesday. I thought I would help myself out. I didn't delete the FB app off my phone, however, I tuned notifications off (the little red star in the corner would have driven my OCD mad) and moved the app into an obscure folder 3 pages into my phones app screens. I did delete the "favourites" from my browser bars and that was that.

The first couple of days was fine, I was busy and not on the train or hanging around anywhere. Where I got cold turkey was at the weekend. Waiting for a meal to be delivered, hanging around the shop changing rooms whilst my wife tried a dress on. Just that wanting to look to see what people were up to. Not necessarily to post myself but to be nosey into everyone else's lives. Not just good friends and family but people I can say I don't know all that well. To see what my classmates from my school were up to, what University Alumni were having for lunch and how past colleagues were entertaining themselves.

That said. I have a very busy Lent. I was abroad with work, which let's face it could have been a hundred posts in itself. From posting about being in the airport, to what the weather was like, to seeing a tall building or taking photos of different meals. I went to a special black tie ball where we had a wonderful time and again there would have been photos and tagging, and then more photos the next day and the thanks to the team for putting on the event.

I missed all that. I didn't wish anyone happy birthday. I offered no congratulations at the birth of a child, nor of an engagement. I didn't know that one of my schoolmates had tragically passed away. I can't say I knew him well now, but he was in my year at school from primary to GCSEs and was in my form all the way through secondary school.

I didn't vent about a bad day at work, or how the trains had been delayed, or how the roadworks on the M6 were systematically destroying my car one pothole at a time.

I came back on to Facebook on Saturday 31st March. I decided to do it then as there was confusion when Lent finished and I did not want to mark my return on April Fools Day. My first post was "did you miss me?". I put up a meme from Sherlock of Moriarty. I don't know what I was expecting. I think it is fair to say no one had.

My sister had texted me earlier in the week asking if I was off for good as she missed knowing what was going on.

After the cold turkey of the first weekend, it was not difficult not to post or look at. The worst was when someone tagged me and I got an email telling me I had been tagged. I did have to ask my wife what had been said. It happened a couple of times (and many times on the night of the Ball), but that is as far as my curiosity took me.

The App still has no notifications showing and is still in the back screens of my phone. I have not put Facebook as a favourite. I have popped on every day this week for a look, but have barely posted. I am still a user but I think I have broken the addiction.