Recently while I was sitting at the salon for hours while I got my hair professionally straightened, I had a great conversation with my stylist. She told me she had gotten off of social media for a few days. Taking a social media break. She said she already felt lighter and happier. She said that she noticed lately as she scrolled she would find herself feeling bad about who she is and what she has or hasn’t done yet. She said she felt a bit envious of what others had posted etc. I know you can relate.
The first step is to pause.
I think we ALL feel that way at some point. Scrolling through other people’s highlight reels will certainly make our day in/day out days feel less than. I told her she did a good job on pressing the PAUSE button on her social media. Unfortunately, as soon as she gets back on her social media, everything will continue to play as before and her emotions will be the same…However, follow these 3 easy steps for a Social Media emotional Makeover and notice the shift in your days.
The first step is to press the PAUSE button and think about what do you like and dislike. What brings you joy? What teaches you to be better? What motivates you? Where do you dream to go? What do you love to eat? What do you love to do? Now that you have paused and reflected, it is time for step two.
The second step is it is time to PURGE. Go through your social media accounts, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter etc, and stop following any account that makes you feel less than. Delete any accounts that no longer fit who you are or who you want to be. This can be hard at first, but be aggressive. If you don’t want to officially “unfriend” or “unfollow” an account, you can choose to “mute” them on Instagram and “hide” them on Facebook. This way these accounts will still show you connected to them, but you will no longer see their posts in your daily scrolling. You no longer have to look at these unrealistic highlight reels of others that make your daily life feel less than. You no longer have to look at posts that rob your joy through unhealthy comparison. You no longer have to get angry, upset, guilt ridden etc. PURGE all that gives you ANY feeling other than motivation, joy, education, pleasure.
This brings us to the final step, step three: PLEASURE. It is now time to update your accounts and fill your feed with things, people, places that feed your soul. Accounts that uplift you, educate yo
u, remind you of the lovely things in life. What are your hobbies? Art? Music? Biking? Find at least 1-2 accounts in those categories and follow them. Where are your dream destinations or what places have you fallen in love with on previous vacations? Norway? New York? Chicago? Greece? Find at least 5 destination accounts to follow. Who inspires you? Oprah? Arianna Huffington? Michael Jordan? Find at least 3 of these accounts to follow. What do you struggle with? Anxiety? Depression? Eating? Exercise? Joy? Find at least 2 accounts that educate and inspire you in these areas (of course, you need to follow me on You Got Joy 🙂 ). Fill your feeds with pleasure!
I promise you, that If you take the time to do these 3 steps: Pause, Purge, Pleasure – your daily scrolling will be one of the best parts of your day. It will leave you refreshed, inspired and educated. It will help you move closer to what you desire and it will encourage you to have a healthier outlook. Life is hard enough without us endlessly comparing ourselves to others. We are responsible to set our own filters and screen out the things that drain us and leave us feeling sad, guilty, unworthy. Take charge of your social media and take charge of your emotions.
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