I used to follow a ton of people on social media.

My Facebook and Instagram feed were cluttered with people I had been following since high school but longer had anything in common with, family members who annoyed me and a ton of random complainers.

It was not very inspiring to look at and it would really bring me down throughout the day. I started to make an effort to carefully and intentionally curate my social media feeds. This practice has been great for my mental health and my feeds are now all very uplifting, educational and full of content that I really love.

Here are my tips for curating your social media feed.

Detox

Before you curate your social media is a great time to have a social media detox. I try to do at least one weekend a month where I sign off of social media completely. I’ve found that the best way to do this is to remove the apps off of my phone when I get off work on Friday.

Doing a social media detox usually helps me feel more centered and creative. I usually spend the weekend reading and writing in my journal instead of consuming hours of content on my phone throughout the day.

If you’re not ready to do a full on detox just try putting your phone in a drawer for a few hours during the evening or sleep with it in another room. These seem like small habits but if you’re used to having your phone on you at all times it can give you a lot of clarity.

Set Intentions

Before you start changing your feed set some intentions for how you want to feel when you look at Instagram or Facebook. What kind of media could you consume that would improve your life and your mood?

I set the intention to have a mix of very beautiful travel content and educational content. The educational content I like to consume is around health and fitness and personal development. Lately, I’ve been sprinkling a little bit of spirituality too.

Getting really intentional about how I was using social media and who I was following felt way better to me than just following old friends from high school “just because”.

Brainstorm how you can use social media to enhance your life.

Eliminate Negativity

I hear so many people making excuses about why they have to follow people that make them feel like crap on social media.

“I couldn’t possibly unfollow Uncle Billy”

Ummm yes you can. You’re an adult and if someone is posting content on Facebook that is bringing you down or triggering you then you can unfollow them. Facebook even has an option to mute people without unfollowing them which is great for family members or friends you don’t want to follow anymore.

I suggest you get freaking ruthless and go through and unfollow as many people as possible. Challenge yourself to cut down the people you are following in half or unfollow anyone that isn’t providing any kind of value to your feed for a week.

Don’t talk yourself into keeping certain people on your newsfeed. If you think you might feel better without consuming their thoughts and ideas cut them out. If you find you do miss their posts you can always re-follow this is not a huge deal.

Add Inspiration

I always heard that you’re the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. However, I live in a very small town and after I launched my online business I had a deep longing to have girl boss friends. I turned to Instagram and started following women business owners that I admired and looked up to. Was it as good as having real friends? No but it helped me feel less alone and it really motivated me.

Make a list of people that really inspire you and see if they have an Instagram or Facebook account. I like to try and find people that are living out my dream life or achieving some of the goals I’m working towards. It really inspires me to see other people killing it and it makes me excited to think about what is possible. I don’t really ever feel jealous but if this kind of content makes you jealous don’t follow it. Maybe your Instagram feed is for following cute and funny animals. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is in line with your intentions and makes you feel good.

If you’re looking for mental health tips make sure to come and follow me over on Instagram!

Declutter Your Social Media

 

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