Decluttering Your Digital Life
Sometimes social media is just too much. I've been getting this feeling with Instagram - the same feeling I had when I reached my limit with Facebook - which is a mixture of tiredness, irritability, mindless scrolling, and a splash of confusion.
"Who is this?" I tend to say squinting at the screen, "why am I following this account?!"
I figured that Virgo season would be the perfect time for us to declutter our digital lives and let go of the necessary stimulants, stressors, and Karens on our social media, that don't serve us or our Highest Good. But lets be real, you should really consider adding your digital devices and accounts to your habitual cleaning list.
To quote Mari Kondo:
"The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life."
Now if we can apply this wisdom to our digital lives you might hear it like this:
The question of what you want to subscribe to and follow is actually the question of how you want to live your life.
So before you start this process, let's ask ourselves: What kind of life do I want to live?
Decluttering Your Social Media
CUT THE UNNECESSARY CRAP Where you live, what generation you're from, and what you do for work can heavily influence which apps you tend to use the most. For myself and many other small business owners, Instagram is a huge platform because of it's visual appeal and high traffic. But if you don't absolutely need an instagram, a Facebook, a Tiktok account, you don't need to engage with it. You are allowed to cut out (or mindfully tune out) of those digital spaces.
SET CLEAR INTENTIONS If you've chosen to keep all of your accounts then it's important that you set clear intentions about what you're using those platforms for. Don't feel the need or the pressure to contribute to every space. Stick to the ones that bring you the most joy, productivity, connection - whatever it is that lights you up!
SET STRONG BOUNDARIES Along with intention setting, it's vital that we set ourselves up for success with some strong-a** boundaries! How often are you going on these accounts and for how long? Do you have any healthy coping strategies if you come across posts that upset you, trigger you, or simply tire you out? If we don't set boundaries we can get a case of social media burnout.
READ: How to Deal with Spiritual Burnout
My hope for you is that in these three steps, you get the encouraging butt-kick you need to whip your digital life into (better) shape.
Side note: Social Media is still a relatively new thing for us as Humans. No one is a true expert on dealing with our evolving relationship to our devices, but what we can do today, is alleviate some of the stress and overwhelm that can happen when interacting with our digital lives.
As for myself, I'm taking some time to create necessary boundaries between my personal life and social media. Although I'll be showing face here and there, creating rules and structure for myself is already proving to be less stressful, while existing in this wild digital world.
