Rationing Social Media

In retirement, I have minimal must do now impositions on each day.  In one respect, it is freedom, control over my time, in another work has been replaced by other things that control my time, mostly by allure.  There are days when I can never get enough Facebook, even though most of my Friends, who are really more contacts, have either become less present, gotten snoozed for annoying me, or haven't yet gotten snoozed because my fondness for them overrides the endless political postings.  And no doubt I've done the same to others, which may be in part why their participation has waned.  Is it an addiction?  A Psychology Today essay by an addiction specialists suggests not.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201805/addicted-social-media

But the allure is such that I become a clock watcher in its absence.  No electronics on shabbos, but I have become more aware of Havdalah time and what I plan to do shortly thereafter.  No screens from 11PM to 5:30AM, more to promote sleep, but from about 4:30AM onward, the red digits on the behind bed clock may as well count down instead of up.  Dr. Griffiths, author of the article, recognizes the sense of deprivation, what might be happening to the world when I am not part of it?

Rationing as in shabbos and overnight has helped, but I gave myself a two day more comprehensive trial this week.  So far so good, but I still have the urge.  It may be like choosing Kosher.  People give up pork, then lobster, then cheeseburgers.  Eventually they look for hechshers and one day they no longer miss the clam chowder or even think about it.  I suppose FB can go that route, Sermo largely has, but access to cyberspace is a lot more beneficial than access to shrimp scampi so it may not be all that realistic to promote electronic celibacy.  Time constraints and participatory limitations may have to suffice.  I'll have a better sense of this tomorrow when I am looking forward to posting again after 48 hours avoidance.  Enrolling in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy seems premature.