Do you curse social media? Do you scroll it daily, but I bitch, whine, and mutter under your breath while you do it? Do you log in to catch up with family or friends, but inevitably get sucked into the drama, ignorance, manipulations, politics, and meanness sprinkled through your feed? Enough is enough! Even if you don’t participate, those negativities can affect your heart and mind.

When you want to stay connected with friends and family, but could do without the ugly stuff, there is a way.

Is Healthy Social Media a Thing?

Perhaps it’s more accurate to say “healthier” social media is possible. I’d say we all have three choices.

One: You can leave social media once and for all.

Two: You can be a spectator and continue to complain that you don’t like what you see. (This is a trick, you guys. There’s nothing healthy about this option.)

Three: You can be an active participant and make positive change.

I chose number three. Here’s how you can, too.

STEP ONE: CLEAN HOUSE

Block, unfollow, or unfriend people and pages whose language or attitude is unkind or hurtful. I have no tolerance for pointed meanness or hate. If a person or page shares or participates in posts that are intentionally untrue, aggressive, or harmful, I chose to remove them. No explanations, no warnings, no hard feelings. You can do what you need to do to protect your mental health and manage your time.

STEP TWO: HIDE THE ADS

Hide all ads that are repetitive, unnecessary, offensive, or dishonest. You know you can do this, right? If you are seeing a bunch of junk ads, things that aren’t appropriate, or that you flat out don’t want to see, tap those three little dots by the post and click “hide ad”. Simple as that.

STEP THREE: SEEK OUT THE GOOD

Intentionally seek out pages publishing good and truthful things. Those might include credible news outlets, truthful writers, humor pages, and local businesses that are relevant to your life. Pay more attention to my friends and family. Don’t hesitate to engage with the good things. People want to hear that their kids are adorable, that they’re killing it in their career, and that you miss seeing them. Positively engage and encourage others. If your aren’t looking for and  don’t care to feed the falsified, airbrushed, fake versions of life, you can certainly choose to focus on those who share the genuine joy, truth, grief, kindness, and growth in their lives as they see fit.

Moving closer to a healthy social media experience.

Your social awareness won’t be limited to only what you want to see because there are countless other ways that you can be responsibly aware and involved in the world. These are simply three ways you can take control of your actions and choose to participate in a way that fuels goodness and truth.

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