I Deleted Facebook from My Phone… and Honestly, I’ve Never Felt Better

I was sitting in the car on the way to pick up my two youngest, the calm before the storm, mindlessly scrolling Facebook at the longest red light in the history of the planet and it hit me.

...another depressing post of the Guadalupe storms that took the lives of so many children.

I felt the pit of my stomach fall out again. More dead, more broken families, more parents that would have to recover from their worst nightmare. No more hope for those who were hoping their child somehow managed to get out alive.

My mood tanked. It could've been Emily. I had looked at sending her older brother to a similar camp last year, but we just didn't have the financial means to do it. I thanked God right then for my big family. Daycare costs and the cheap req center camps in the summer run us well over $1000 per week, there is no room for a $500+ sleep away camp.

Then I did it. I had been toying with the notion anyway. I closed the app, it was making me feel miserable anyway, and hit uninstall.

A feeling of deep relief came over me, and then a strange sense of panic. What would I do to chill at night without Facebook?

It's been a month plus since I hit uninstall in the car that day, and let me tell you what happened.

For about two weeks, at red lights, I'd open my phone, and my muscle memory would try to find the app. Same thing in the evenings, but less habitual there - most of the time I would remember that I didn't have it.

I started using my computer again. After all, I didn't swear off Facebook completely, I just took it from my phone. However, our 2 year old currently sleeps and naps in our office, so my Facebook time has decreased substantially.

I still keep up with friends and their lives, but I may not be the first one to like their post.

The only minor regret? Marketplace. We need a new washing machine, and a highchair to match our current one, (which isn't made anymore), and they can be hard to get ahold of.

However, the good heavily outweighs the bad. I'm present with my kids in the evenings now, and in the car. When I'm alone in the car I've started praying the rosary again, and I really do think that these apps have a way of making us dumb.

My brain has come back a bit. It's still waterlogged from birth and the general lack of sleep that comes with having all of these kids, but it's much sharper than it was a few weeks ago.

I still get the news, in manageable doses. I still use Facebook to take an occasional break, when my kids aren't home, but now I can breathe so much better without this app sucking away my life.

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Think of this as your reset button. Step away from the laundry, the schedules, the noise, and let me give you a day that’s about you. By the time you leave, you’ll have portraits that capture the version of yourself you want to remember forever.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.