By Dawn Onley

Facebook is my drug of choice.

It’s highly addictive. It leaves me in a state of euphoria, melancholy or some odd combination of the two, when I spend hours at a time on it. I have learned that I should never spend hours at a time on it, or any social media platform for that matter. The virtual world is no comparison to the natural world, even for an introvert like myself. Facebook is not the best way to spend a lazy evening, particularly when you work from home and already spend most of your day in front of a computer and inside the house. Going outside is. Writing is. Reading is. Board games are.

What I’ve always loved about Facebook is how it connected me with old friends. It’s wonderful for families dispersed many places to be able to learn and get caught up on family news. There is an endless cache of knowledge to learn — in groups, by reading news articles from sources not frequently visited, and on the pages of thought leaders. Minutes checking my timeline to see who posted what, however, isn’t too bad, I rationalized. Truly, it’s not bad and I love the positive aspects of Facebook.

Still, it’s a drug for me and I needed to detox. For the 40 days of Lent, I’ve temporarily deleted my Facebook page and have already noticed an incredible uptick in productivity and progress. I’m feeling more intentional and I’ve been engaging with people in person more frequently — like spending yesterday afternoon with my Nana, aunties and cousins. I joined a monthly women’s book club and have already finished my first book. I’ve tried out several new restaurants. My son and I play charades almost nightly. My husband and I work out together twice a week. I’ve committed to making my Nana a pot of soup once a month. I’ve redesigned my son’s bathroom (with my husband and a contractor doing the actual work, of course :).

I’m starting to better utilize Instagram and LinkedIn to promote my writing and PR consultancy, Onley Communications. Twitter’s next. I’m challenging my fears. I’m learning so much.

I’m a cold turkey type of gal. More than 15 years ago, I woke up one day and decided to give up a casual smoking habit, and I’ve never looked back.

I don’t intend to give up Facebook permanently. But I will take more breaks throughout the year and limit my time on the platform.

I’ve decided that if I’m going to be addicted to anything, it’s going to be living my best life.