Saturday, January 31, 2009

Facebook rehab?


My name is Sahiba & I am a Facebookaholic.

There. You now know my shameful secret. But I feel so much better now that it's finally out in the open. Just don't judge me.

Like most addictions, it started innocuously enough. A few minutes here, half an hour there. Just to keep in touch with friends...for old time's sake.

And then I discovered Scrabulous (now Lexulous). And that was the beginning of the end. When Scrabulous was shut down by Hasbro for copyright infringement, I was heartbroken. And I'm not to proud to admit it - I cried.

But all was not lost. From the ashes of Scrabulous there emerged, like some fabulous Phoenix, Wordscraper. And then came Lexulous. In the meanwhile I discovered other word games like Text Twirl & Word Challenge; brain games such as Sudoku and Paradigm; and strategy games including Conquest (online version of classic board game Risk). All this and more - and all on Facebook.

I was hooked.

I couldn't watch TV, talk on the phone or have a normal conversation anymore. My fingers were constantly typing away, my mind thinking of the next word/move/strategy. My eyes got that haunted look. Everybody started to notice.

My husband begged me to step away from the computer. But I didn't want to. After all, I could stop anytime I wanted to, right? I just didn't want to yet. Yeah, right!

But now I admit it. I can't stop. I need help!

In a way, though, I understand what led me to this addiction. With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, there's very little one can do. I'm no longer studying. I can't work. I don't want to watch Soaps & Sitcoms all day. Sometimes I wonder if my brain will simply shrivel away and die due to neglect.

When I started playing Scrabble etc online, it felt like a lifeline.

Science suggests that simple brain excercises and word games can actually sharpen the mind and improve memory. This is what I focussed on.

However, what I failed to admit was that spending so much time on the computer was really wearing me out. All of us who have had any experience with CFS know that overdoing anything (or even doing what is a "normal" amount for most people) is likely to exhaust us.

So while I was probably working out my mind, I was making myself sicker and sicker.

And that is why I need to go to Facebook rehab. And this is why I am trying to find things other that FB that I can do even when I'm not well - like blogging.

The only problem is, the way I'm going, I may soon end up looking for blog rehab!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Mrs F! Thanks for finding my blog and being my friend! We must stay in touch!

    My Mom told me I should tell you something about CFS, but I told Mom that you probably already know this, but I will tell you anyway, because she is the boss of me, and I always do what she says.


    Ha HA HA HA!

    Now that that is out of my system, I will tell you what Mom said - she says that for most people with CFS, the body has an illogical response to exercise, and you actually feel better - so most CFS doctors recommend daily, or at least every other day, aerobic exercise like walking or swimming.

    Sometimes my Mom is a big fat know-it-all, but she also gives good tummy-rubs.

    Hope to see you soon!

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  2. Thanks so much for visiting and passing on ur mom's advice, Bailey!

    I find that yoga works for me on my good days. And I try to take Lola out for short walks. but anything more hectic than that rly knocks me out.

    And I think ur doing a great job of letting ur mom think she's the boss - with a bit of work it's amazing what you can train us humans to believe, right?! ;)

    btw, Lola thinks ur very handsome & send some licks ur way - I hope u don't think she's being too fwd...

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  3. Hi -

    I just realized - when I read your comment on my blog - that I hadn't seen anything on your blog lately. Then, I realized I had forgotten to add you to my list of blogs I follow. So, I should be keeping up better now!

    I have avoided Facebook for just that reason - I'm afraid it will suck up all my time! And I probably am a bit of a blog addict, but some days the blogging community is my only link to the outside world. CFS can be so isolating. I also love word games, but I know that computer time can wipe me out, so I try hard to use my limited time productively (most of the time!)

    Sue

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