Mute, unfollow and block are words that many are too afraid to use let alone carry out, be it on someone who they would say hello to in Asda yet have had on their Facebook for the last ten years or the company who’s marketing makes them feel inferior yet they can’t help but look at what they post. Mute unfollow and block are actually total corner stones to protecting your sanity online, so I’ve discovered in recent years and in today’s post, I’m going to share how I genuinely feel about the media, the internet and life and how I use them to help me to protect myself. In essence, no matter if they’re friends, family, a person you’ve known for 20 years, the celeb everyone loves, a brand you shop from, a news source or an organisation, if you feel rubbish when you see something from them then do something about it. Regardless of who or what it is, you can still utilise these features on social media and in your life to protect yourself from negativity and direct you towards surrounding yourself with what makes you feel happy.
Its time to:
PROTECT YOUR VIBE.
WORK ON YOU.
BUILD YOURSELF UP.
FIND YOUR OWN POSITIVE TRIBE.
To many, this may seem sassy or even a little extreme but for me, it’s VITAL to living a happy life. Once I got over feeling awkward and started to feel the benefits of zoning out from sources and people online and in real life that made me feel anything less than fabulous, I realised just how much I needed to protect myself and my mental health at all costs.
I used to listen, watch and read so much media that made me feel inadequate, useless and ugly. Everything seemed so negative and when I started tuning into the online world more I eventually found myself being drawn to other sources that made me feel down too. I t’s so easy to look at others lifestyle, appearance or career online and to feel less worthy, not good enough or to leave yourself questioning, why not me? Why wasn’t I good enough for that? Often it’s through no fault of others; they’re simply sharing a small snippet of their lives and you really have no idea what goes on outside of that moment captured for the internet but yet it can still make you feel shit & when it’s there in the palm of your hand, it’s easy to slip into a vortex of self hate.
The best advice that I can give to anyone is that if someone else’s account, be it a person, company or organisation, or tv show, radio show, podcast, magazine, etc leaves you feeling anything other than positive when you see it, then do whatever you need to do to protect yourself from it- mute those posts or story, unfollow that account or block them. This is not about them, it’s about YOU and how you feel matters.
Christmas is coming up- if you tend to feel miserable when you see certain family or friends trying to out do each other on Brag Book then hide their posts. If looking at someone’s account makes you jealous or feel bad about your own life- mute or unfollow. It doesn’t mean you cant ever go back there; take time out and go back stronger if you want to.
Find other ways to enjoy the internet, away from social media. Use YouTube to learn a new skill. Sign up for a virtual class. Learn about the stock market, and learn to do something cool like buy, sell and swap Ethereum.
Work on you and build yourself up so that you get to a point where you don’t feel jealous, the need to compare or any other negative emotion. Building your self worth and confidence is one of the best things that you can do for yourself because its all about validating you and knowing you are worthy rather than seeking validation from others. Positive mantras and affirmations are a great place to start.
I AM ENOUGH.
I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY.
I AM FREE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT I LOVE.
Making your own happiness a priority is not a selfish or bad thing; you’re not hurting anyone and choosing to tune out of news feeds that make you feel bad, however innocently they may have been posted, and into sources that make you feel love towards yourself is not a bad thing. It isn’t about the account who you’re muting, its about you. Cut the negativity and look for the sources on and offline that lift you up and leave you feeling happy so that you can learn YOU ARE ENOUGH.
I love this post! I don’t follow anyone on social media who makes me feel bad about myself and it’s really helped since I started doing that.
This is such an important thing to remember, I think often we forget that actually we do need to protect ourselves and muting / blocking and walking away are OK to do.
I love the mute button. So handy for not having to see people’s rubbish without having to actually unfriend which sometimes causes more hassle than it’s worth. So important to mute, unfollow and/or block though when you work online – can drive you mad otherwise.
I certainly agree with you, we don’t need toxic people or accounts in our lives. Blocking is a great way to get rid of those that don’t allow us to be free and ourselves.
I unfollowed toxic family members and acquaintances and now I just try and look at stuff online that inspires me or connect with people that do so. Your mental health is so important and it’s important to not feel bad about making choices that are good for you. x
I completely agree, no-one should have to put up with toxic people in their life. The block button really can be your best friend! x
The online world can be a scary place and I think when something is not good for your health you should remove it.