you can consume food that’s bad for you or food that’s good for you.
you can consume food that satisfies you temporarily or food that keeps you fuller longer.
you can consume food that is devoid of nutrients or food that is highly nutritious.
you can consume food that makes you feel run down or food that makes you feel energized.
you can consume food that breaks down your body or food that heals your body.
you can consume food that affects your emotions and wellbeing both positively and negatively.
and then ask yourself:
just as you would need to clean out your pantry if you really wanted to change up your diet,
we invite you to clean out your social media “pantry”.
set aside some time to go through who you follow on social media.
think about the affects these accounts have on you – are they positive or negative?
do they inspire and encourage me to be a better person and meet the needs of others?
do I feel jealousy or comparison when I look at their photos or feed?
you might justify that you’re following them for inspiration – like “style inspiration” – but be honest with yourself:
do you feel uplifted or discouraged [about your life, body, home, etc] by what you see on their feed?
if they don’t pass through the filter of having a positive impact on you,
we need to stop giving so much attention, praise and accolades to people or accounts that do not produce substantial and nutritious content. and we also need to stop using it so heavily as a space to share things that are tied to image, status and superficial happenings.
once you have done this,
what causes are near and dear to your heart?
what’s being done to meet the needs you care about?
by following these accounts related to these instead, every time you scroll your feed,
you are being fed (no pun intended!) in a very different way.
follow accounts to learn, to understand needs, and to become aware of what you can do to participate or contribute.
follow accounts that prompt you to feel.
ask yourself questions like:
what is my motive for posting this?
am I posting this to get validation or approval or acceptance?
do people that follow me know what I’m passionate about?
do I use this space to educate, advocate for and/or inspire others?
how can I better spread awareness about things I care about?
when changing the world seems like an insurmountable task and too big to take on,
in this very way, you are apart of change; doing a social media clean out and committing to produce content that matters are ways we begin to take tools, technology and social media back to be used for good.
(psssst – we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!)