Two weeks ago, I completely deleted every social media presence I had: Facebook, Messenger, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. There were a few catalysts, such as some girl drama to which, at 30, I no longer feel the need to dedicate time and energy. I realized the strain I felt from reading extreme political views on both sides. I felt uncomfortable with the number of people I didn't know who would one day see pictures of my children. I felt like I was always at work, because of the number of work related pages I followed. Most importantly, I realized the absolutely insane time suck it had all become.

I attempted to get a handle on it all, but always ended up spending too much time thinking about not looking at Facebook, or replacing it with something else, such as Twitter or Instagram, that it wasn't worth it. So, two weeks ago, on a whim, I deleted everything and it has been life changing. No exaggeration.

I feel like I have so much more time! I've completed several books and started and finished several craft projects. When my husband wants to discuss current events, I don't feel as though the subject has been exhausted by strangers I once knew in high school. We've had more sex. I'm not stressed because I'm constantly absorbing ideas for work. I don't have to read every extreme interpretation of newsworthy events, such as the Texas church shooting. I feel... free. I know that sounds trite, but it's true. If people want to contact me, they have my phone number. If they want to catch up, we can get lunch and now I'll actually have the energy to do so!

Obviously, I just couldn't control myself. After seeing a Mother's Day survey a friend of a friend shared, where the child filled in that his "mom likes to (play with her phone)," I dreaded my own children seeing me that way... but I couldn't pull away. It was all or none and I'll never go back, save for the extreme lock down Instagram I opened for my immediate family to look at pictures.

But, what about you all? Do you have a social media presence? How does it effect your life? Do you feel like you have it under control? How much time do you spend actually looking at your phone in a day, regardless of the other things going on (watching movies, reading books, attending parties)? Does this make you feel like you're in the loop or like you're missing out?