[Rachaelxxx]

My husband started a new job in November so has worked right through Christmas and did last year as well . Whilst the girls and I have had a nice break together, we haven't really done a lot and at times I have felt a little ground hog day at home and money is a little tight these holidays.

Well I have to admit for the first time ever I feel like a little green eyed monster and am suffering what I can only describe as "Facebook Envy" . I'm serious, everyone is away on holidays, overseas, has family and friends staying with them or is doing every possible "expensive holiday activity" under the sun.

My husband said I've turned into a real grumpy bum, feeling sorry for myself and he wants me to get off Facebook, but I actually don't think I can. I would only feel like I was missing out on what is happening with everyone and I would feel out of the loop (sad as that is).

Do you yourself have this love / hate relationship with Facebook, where some days you just want to close your account and never go back, but you know in reality you never could

[howdo]

Nope. What others are going doesn't bother me. I'm sure there are some people on your list not having a wow of a time. That doesn't make it to Facebook. I really don't understand why people let Facebook interfere in their life tbh.

If it has though start limiting your time there. Give it to yourself as an hour wind down reward on the afternoon/evening after you've been out for the day doing stuff with yours kids. There's heaps of low/no cost activities. Get off Facebook and go out and live. You don't need a ban on it to change things.

[Saecularis Angel...]

I've never joined Facebook, so I have similar issues from the other side.

People think that if they put something on Facebook, "everybody" knows, so I'm often left out of the loop on important things/events because nobody bothers to email or phone me. (And then I'm the bad guy for not knowing/responding! Does my head in!)

I can see how it would be useful, and I think it would be hard to step back from that, if you've become used to it.

[RCTP]

I use it many times a day from my iPhone.
It's a double-edged sword. I use it to keep in touch with family and friends in Europe.
I also got into Twitter recently.

I find if I am having a day where too many posts are aggravating me I try to avoid it for the rest of the day.
I think it is cyber overload sometimes.
Twitter is great for keeping up with news snippets but it is so argumentative (I include myself in that) and provocative sometimes it's not worth my mental health to read the tweets!

So while I wouldn't give either up, sometimes I have to be strict on myself.

[MrsLexiK]

I couldn't give it up, I use it to stay in touch with some family members, actually because of staying in touch via facebook I know that a friend I went to school with is about 6 weeks behind me in pregnancy and she now lives down my way. YAY!

I also have a few support groups that I am part of that I wouldn't be part of if it were not for facebook.

I do use twitter, but really just have the news websites and the like on my twitter and I can grab the headlines in the morning without trawling through the news websites.

[Rachaelxxx]

On many levels, I feel it such a useful tool for communication and yes Ange Vert I can see your frustration, so many times I've heard people say the same thing and others like yourself feel left out.

For the most part, I really enjoy keeping up to date with what friends and family are doing, I love looking at the photos, I feel like it keeps us connected even when you are not seeing that person. It makes me feel like you are still up to date on certain things that are happening, but I can also see the lack of picking up the telephone and the art of communication.

But yes I had to admit it, but definite Facebook Envy these holidays

[Sassy Girl]

I think I could. In the past six months I've given up alcohol, coffee, Coke Zero so I think I could if I wanted to or had to.

[Maple Leaf]

I have a love/hate relationship with it and have left it a few times.

I miss my overseas friends though, and without it it's too hard to be included in the photos that go around etc.

It's a necessary evil in my life as all of my friends are on it.

I think if we all left and just went back to online chatting and emails, it would be fine. But because they stay, I have to stay too.

[la di dah]

I have no interest in giving it up.

I am 9000 miles from everyone on my side, and I miss my cousins and aunts/uncles and like seeing all their stupid pics of something their baby/dog/houseplant is doing as it makes me feel less out of the loop and "gone."

I still talk to my parents/siblings on the phone but for great-aunts and second cousins and so on, Facebook is really nice for staying in contact w/o having to hunt down people individually.

[71Cath]

No, I couldn't give it up, I am too nosey about what everyone else is doing...