Social media can be a wasteland reeking of toxic comments, unrealistic photos, and absurd ideas. If you aren’t careful, the space can be a source of stress, hate, and frustration. Don’t worry, however. Here are some quick ways to save your sanity when your feed and connections have gone out of control:
Marie Kondo Your Feed
Snooze, unfollow, unfriend, leave, and block—all of these features are a ticket to a quieter, more peaceful social media life. If a friend, a page, or a group is giving you consistently nothing but offensive content, annoying posts, unsolicited opinions, and just overall bad vibes, consider keeping them out of your sight. Declutter your social media as Marie Kondo would do to a messy room. Take out everything that doesn’t bring you joy.
Know, however, the difference among the said features, so you’d be able to choose the right one for your situation. If you’re tired of a friend who posts tons of pictures of her dog daily, the snooze or unfollow button will suffice. That way, you’ll see less of their posts without cutting ties.
This feature is also helpful for getting rid of pages that no longer serve you. Go through the accounts you follow, from media publications to your groups, and check if they contribute anything positive to your life.
Be sure, however, to not take the unfriend and block features lightly. While they seem an instant solution to a toxic social media connection, a study shows that these options affect friendships in real life. The person who has been unfriended might think that you’re terminating your relationship beyond the online world as well.
Follow What Feels Good
Even if you’re unaware, everything you see on social media affects your mood and takes up space inside your head. After cleaning up the bad and the ugly, it’s time to follow the good. Shift your focus more on the things that you love.
If street art fascinates you, Instagram has a plethora of artists you can check out. If you’ve always been interested in interior design, many companies in Highland are worth following on social media. The bottom line is, fill your feed with accounts, posts, and stories that inspire and inform you, not stress you.
Ignore the Trolls
You know them. Sometimes, you manage to scroll past their off-topic, offensive remarks. Sometimes, they get the better of you. Ugh, trolls. You hate them, but don’t you love feeding them?
These impossible people are probably the reason you hate social media now. They intentionally start arguments without any intention of having a meaningful exchange of ideas. And when you deal with them the wrong way and hit them back with a response as snarky as theirs, you feed them. Satisfied and fat with your anger, they’re ready to wreak havoc again.
A friendly reminder: Next time you encounter them, save your energy. You have a better chance at winning an argument with a genius than a troll, not because they’re smart. It’s because their only goal is to piss you off. When they see (or sense) you’re already red with hate and irritation, they win.
If none of these tips work, step away from social media. Take a step back from your accounts and try to live in the moment. Remember, you can always go back and log in, but you can never get back the headspace, time, and energy you spent on a toxic space.
