None of us are 100% immune to toxic content no matter how strong a personality we possess. We can work hard to curate our online feeds and it may just never be enough. Content curating is hard work if you use and read multiple sites and social media platforms. Even curating one social media outlet is hard work enough. If you make the choice to be online at all, it is becoming necessary to invest time in curating the information you read. This should be undertaken to avoid getting caught up in an increasing pit of negative content. Time is wasted reading things that you won’t want to read based on subject. Tailor it to your interests. That is the beauty of the information age. We can get information that we want.
If looking at social media causes you stress then consider decreasing your content absorption for a short period. Consider it a content cleanse. That short period could go longer if you need to. Put your device down. Pick yourself up. Giving your eyes a rest will help bring clarity among the chaos. Improve your usage so that you actually get something more of value from social media.
Here’s one way to take things a step further. Consider deleting your social media apps from your phone for just a week. This is an immediate remedy to decrease your screen time and content absorption. If you must keep them on your phone, then maybe adjust your settings so you cannot access cellular data when away from WiFi. Leave the setting for a week. See if you can get used to picking up your phone less. If you can feel a difference in your mental clarify after a day, then you are on a positive path forward.
While you are working, look at your email box for a few minutes and analyze the contents. How many junk messages are coming through to you that are “not really junk”, but maybe now they are? Do you need to be subscribed to all these different sites. Do you really need to be kept in the loop on all the latest offers from every place you have ever browsed online? Scroll down on those emails and remove yourself from a few of those lists. Reduce the toxicity of excess digital clutter.
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