I recently heard a story on the news that facebook is causing people to feel depressed. Supposedly, all the fun parties and happy occasions makes people feel like their lives are inadequate.
I have to admit, I’ve noticed this myself, and wondered how everyone could be so happy all the time.
Since fb is an enormously public venue, why would anyone want to air their dirty laundry?
I even recall specific incidents when I left facebook feeling down. Some relatives were getting together without us. Sometimes they’d invite us as an after thought, at the last minute, when we already had plans. In each instance, I’d read all about the fun they had without us.
This leads me to another reason why some people might feel down or depressed. Maybe they feel cut-off from others. While technology is wonderful in so many ways, it also causes less human contact. Facebook made me feel like I was eavesdropping on other peoples lives, but not really a part of them. Not to mention, they weren’t a part of my life either. They stopped calling and even stopped emailing. People seem to think that reading about others on fb is enough.
I’m not writing about this because I don’t like facebook, nor am I going to close my account. I just think it’s important to identify these things, and make sure we stay in physical contact as well. It’s nice to get a hug on occasion, and I don’t mean the cold online brackets hug, but the warm, human contact kind.
I also brought up the topic because, as much as I like to be positive and joke around, I’ll likely be real and post when life isn’t fair on occasion too.
Sometimes life throws us curb balls, and it’s okay. It’s all about the journey. My dog Piezon taught me that one. He was always so very filled with joy on our journeys together, but once we arrived, he’d look at me like, “Okay, we made it. What’s the next journey?” He enjoyed the journey so much more than the destination.
Lori's Lane 
Thanks for your kind words Michelle. I lost my boy in ’09 too, 2 months before you lost Jake. I’m sure you read about him in this blog already. I like your theory that the universe balances things out, and I’m going with it. 🙂
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Michelle ~ First let me say that your work with dog rescue is honorable. Thank you for taking care of those sweet furry babies.
I made the same resolution about staying positive when ’09 started. I did great for a few months, but then my heart dog (and first ever dog) got sick and died. From then on everything went down hill. You know, the domino effect. I always wondered if my deep, dark grief sent negative energy into the universe to bring more negative things into my life. But, I couldn’t help the sadness. I never experienced such a hard loss in my life. He was my everything.
Now that time has passed and I made it through the grief process, I really wonder if sometimes it’s necessary to face the negativity square on. Once we acknowledge it and give it its due, we can say sayonara. All along, staying positive that it won’t last and happiness is waiting for us as soon as we bid it farewell. The sadness was part of my journey of life. I wouldn’t have traded knowing & loving him to escape that sadness.
The good thing is, you acknowledged the resentment. Heck, you’ve got a tough job and you’re only human. Sometimes we need a little appreciation. When you’re ready, you can bid it farewell and focus on the rewarding part of your job.
BTW, I’m trying to make it a policy to stay away from the computer altogether on Sunday.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Keep up the good work.
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I’m really sorry about the loss of your baby. Nothing is harder. While I don’t wish sadness or despair on anyone, I am so very comforted every time I meet a friend who loves their dogs as much as I do. I’m thankful there are others out there. My husband and I lost Jake, our collie mix baby of 15 years, in August of ’09 and I could barely get out of bed for weeks. The hard part is that a lot of people don’t understand you’ve lost a family member, a kid. You aren’t given bereavement time off, and you have to pretend to be ok around the people who think, “it’s just a dog”. Like you, I wouldn’t have traded a moment with him, or with any of the dogs and cats I’ve been blessed enough to share life with!
I think negativity does bring in more, and vice-versa…but I do know we need that time to grieve, so surely the universe balances it out? I hope 🙂
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It’s funny…I have a blog all about happiness, trying to make myself more positive in 2012 – but am thinking of starting another blog where all I do is gripe 🙂
Your post struck a chord with me, about FB causing depression! I have a dog rescue & sanctuary – really tough stuff – along with a full-time job, so my hardest physical labor is on the weekends. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do for these animals. But when all I see on Sunday are FB posts saying, “what a lovely sermon from pastor Smith this morning, followed by a 7 course meal with my wonderful family, and now I’m off to take a long, luxurious nap!” – I sort-of want to scream 🙂 I actually started resenting people who don’t volunteer a dime or time for anything, but look down on me because they were at church while I was shoveling dog poo.
So I have a strict policy that I don’t FB on Sunday. It is saving my sanity 🙂
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