HELP! I'm addicted to Facebook!

I've come to the realization that I'm addicted to Facebook. In moderation, I think Facebook can be a useful social tool. However, I'm aware that I tend to get caught up in posts, especially regarding the election. I'm a staunch Democrat and I disagree with everything the Republican party stands for, but now multiplied by one thousand, since the party has become so extreme and even Republicans are fleeing the party. My antipathy and worry over the the duplicity and shady tactics of this party keep me embroiled and hyper-focused on politics. It's fine to post a few things that support Obama or that expose Republican lies, but I get so caught up and post so much you'd think the outcome of the election was contingent on the volume of messages I posted. I end up feeling like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I'm also aware of the grandiosity at work here, as if everyone has dropped everything in their lives to attend to and learn from my posts. I realize how funny this is as I write. I also get reinforced when people like my posts and go into a self-critical spiral that includes fear of abandonment, fear of rejection, fear of loss of approval if people withdraw, unfriend or are critical of what I write. I'll post something and later feel like I'm in the doghouse with the world and then feel like I have to hurry up and edit it.

2 replies   

I wish I had an answer for you. It sounds like it has become a problem. But do you think when the election is over you can then slack off facebook? I know many people do have the same problem with facebook. I use to get on it but it started to bore me. I guess my life is not exciting enough to have much to say there.

Debra

I had the same problem. My OCD fuels this compulsion. I now set a time limit on my internet use. 1 1/2 hrs is my limit per day. I have a book on the go at all times. I keep telling myself people in the flesh are more important than my supposed influence on the internet. We got along just fine without internet before. It is a tool not a career. There are many other things that take presidence over the computer that need tending to....
Maybe this will help you break that bondage :)

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