Embracing the Bright Side of Social Media: How to Refresh and Renew Your Feed
The What -
Refresh your social media today. Take a step back and evaluate how your social media use is affecting your well-being. It could be something as simple as unfollowing accounts that don't bring you joy or taking a break from social media altogether for a day.
You could also consider updating your feed and who you follow to include more positivity and accounts that inspire you. Maybe it's time to update your profile picture or bio, or even start a new account dedicated to a hobby or interest you're passionate about?
Bring back the fun of social media and ditch the unrealistic expectations around it.
The Why -
Our social media use can have a significant impact on our mental health. It's easy to get caught up in comparisons, negativity, or mindlessly scrolling through feeds without considering the impact it's having on our well-being. By taking the time to refresh your social media and making intentional choices about who and what you follow, you can create positivity around your social media and really lift your mood this way.
Here are some ways to do exactly this;
Got a friend who fills your feed with moaning and groaning? It's totally ok to want to see less of this. Snooze their posts or unfriend them if it's bringing you down. You don't need to feel guilty!
Are you scrolling through stuff every day that's shared by the same accounts and you're not even interested in it? Unfollow them. Otherwise their posts are just getting in the way of you getting to the content you actually want to see.
Discover something or someone new to follow, especially if it's something outside of your norm. This can open up a whole new world of information and people to connect with.
Look for inspiration and positivity to add to your feed for a mood boost. Have a Google of the best positive accounts to follow or type in positivity into the site's search bar and see what comes up.
Have a good clear out. If your friends list has gotten really long and you're not even sure who half of them are, do you really need to know that they had a nice time at their cousin's - best friend's - neighbour's bat mitzvah? Is there something more valuable to your life that you could be spending your time on instead?
Ask yourself what social media can do for you. It's your feed and your connections. So are you getting what you want from your social media or is it just getting what it wants from you?
Are you seeing a lot of heavy content, like news and politics or people arguing? I know it can be interesting but ask yourself honestly, is it doing you any good and do you really need this in your life?
Make social media work for you
I'm not saying ditch social media completely (unless you want to of course!) It's totally ok to waste a little time scrolling when you need a break from all the 'meh' and the 'blah' and the general lifey stuff. But make it work for you, get the benefit out of it and mould your social media feed into something that gives you value and uplifts you.
I'm the first to admit I love an aimless scroll, especially when it's been 'one of those days' but after finding some new uplifting accounts to follow and removing all the downers, I get so much more out of it now. Some days I even learn something useful!
If you're looking for some ideas of positive or informative content to follow, why not try some of these?
Facebook:
@TheHappyPage: A page dedicated to sharing uplifting and positive content to spread happiness and joy.
@positiveoutlooksblog: A blog focused on sharing inspirational stories and positive messages to uplift and inspire readers.
@goodnewsnetwork: A network that shares good news stories and positive developments from around the world.
@powerofpositivity: A source of positive affirmations, inspirational quotes, and motivational content to promote a positive mindset.
@upliftingcontent: A platform that curates and shares uplifting and heartwarming stories to inspire and uplift its audience.
@HealthyLiving: A wellness-focused page sharing health tips, recipes, mindfulness practices, and fitness inspiration.
Twitter/ X:
@GoodNewsNetwork: Positive news stories and heartwarming content from various sources.
@PositiveNewsUK: Tweets about positive news stories, uplifting articles, and inspiring updates to bring positivity to your feed.
@theoptimistdaily: Daily tweets promoting optimistic viewpoints, positive solutions, and inspiring stories for a brighter outlook.
@HappyNewspaper_: Dedicated to sharing cheerful news, feel-good stories, and positive highlights to bring smiles to followers' faces.
@Inspire_Us: Posts and tweets promoting acts of kindness, positivity, and compassion to inspire a culture of kindness and empathy.
@TEDTalks: Highlights from TED Talks featuring innovative ideas, inspiring talks, and thought-provoking discussions. Instagram:
@happsters: A daily dose of positivity, happiness, and inspiration to brighten your day.
@goodnews_movement: Sharing heartwarming stories and positive news from around the world.
@positive__soul: Encouraging quotes, affirmations, and mindful living tips for a positive mindset.
@thesecret365: Inspirational posts and quotes from the teachings of "The Secret" for manifesting positivity and abundance.
@upworthy: Amplifying stories that matter and inspire change for a better world.
@thriveglobal: Empowering content to help you thrive in all aspects of life, from well-being to productivity.
@tinybuddha: Daily wisdom, quotes, and articles on mindfulness, positivity, and personal growth.
@positivelypresent: Artwork and illustrations paired with positive messages and tips for living in the present moment.
@NatGeo: National Geographic's account sharing stunning photography, fascinating facts, and stories about the world and nature.
So this week, ditch the dreadful feed and pull some of that positivity into your socials!
The Who -
This post was inspired by my need for positivity. I was in a negative mindset, being a proper negative ninny and all the yuck I was seeing in the world was really not helping. I removed anything and everything even slightly negative from my socials and I even stopped watching the news. Yep, entirely. Now you might be panicking thinking "But how will she know if this scary thing happens?" or "How will she prepare for that next shocking thing that's right around the corner if she doesn't even watch the news or know what's going on in the world?!"
Well it turns out that about 99% of the stuff on the news has little effect on your own life. The other 1% is the sort of stuff other people generally tell you about anyway. Plus if something like another pandemic happened, I reckon seeing people running out of the supermarket with trolleys filled with toilet rolls again would probably tip me off that something was going down.
A brighter feed - A brighter day
I haven't seen, heard or scrolled through any 'traditional' news in about six months and you know what, i'm fine! More than fine actually and a nice bonus is that instead of reading the news, people tell me about it. I still get to hear about the things that matter but I get conversation out of it too. I also still learn about general trends and things going on in the world by following positive social media accounts that are trying to fix those problems and subscribing to positive news stories. This way I get to know about what's going on in this wonderful world of ours but in the form of a news pill that's much more pleasant to swallow.
By making some changes to my social media habits, like ditching the bad news and following accounts that inspired me instead, I noticed a significant improvement in my overall well-being. So I hope this blog post inspires you to do the same and refresh your socials for happier future scrolling.
Lou @ Feathered Paths Xx
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