Every once in a while, it’s time for a good ol’ social media cleanse. In the same way that Marie Kondo rids homes of excess, the Kon Mari method can cleanse your social media of toxicity.
Social media has become a central part of people’s lives. We make frequent pauses throughout the day to check up on what other people are doing. There’s almost an obsession to track posts and be in the know.
Along with that, it can bring a cycle of obsession and a surplus of toxicity. Social media usually only shows the edited versions of people’s lives. However, it’s not the only side to social media.
Social media, particularly Instagram, has seen an increase in pages working toward dissipating negativity, raising awareness and breaking stigmas — so much so that #instatherapists have become a trend.
An article from The New York Times called “Instagram Therapists Are the New Instagram Poets” says that real therapists are on Instagram, sharing their professional advice for those who cannot afford it on their own. While it does not replace the need for therapy, it can help make Instagram a more insightful and positive experience.
Determine if the item “sparks joy”
This step is integral to creating a positive social media experience. On Instagram in particular, it’s easy to compare yourself to others.
Perfect bodies and photoshopped skin are the culprits. If you find yourself constantly feeling bad when a particular account shows up on your feed, press that unfollow button. When you open up Instagram, you want to close the app feeling inspired, not self-deprecating.
Her Campus UFL Campus Correspondent Viviana Moreno said, “I try to cultivate a space that is welcoming, diverse, aesthetic to my personal likes, meaningful.”
Deleting someone from your account may be a bold move, but it can be a rather effective one, too.
Mute your problems away
Do you hate seeing someone’s posts but don’t want to stir the pot with that unfollow? Mute their account. It’ll be your little secret, and nobody will know but you. If an account’s posts constantly make your blood boil but you still want to follow them anyway in order to keep the peace, mute away.
We all have those people in our lives whose posts we can’t stand. Muting is a way to block the toxicity without boiling some tea.
Limit how long you stay online
We’ve all spent way too long scrolling on our phones in bed. To try to limit your late night scrolls; set a time for yourself to get off of Instagram.
One study published by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology concluded that limiting time on social media platforms can decrease feelings of loneliness. When you’re not obsessively scrolling through what people are doing, your FOMO decreases.
Throw the app in the trash
Ultimately, deleting social media is the most efficient way to get you through your insta-blues, even if it’s only temporary.
Her Campus UFL editor Julia Mitchem said, “If I find that I can’t stop comparing myself, then I will delete the app for a couple of days. It’s so important to only let in positive messages and thoughts.”
Brianna Monroe, a Her Campus UFL public relations team member, said that deleting her Instagram “made [her] so much more aware of what’s going on in [her] life, has made [her] more present and more positive.”