Cleaning Up Your Toxic Social Media (TSM)

There are many ways that we can get stressed by life and sometimes it is not easy, if not impossible to avoid it, but we do have control over the Social Media we consume and those we allow to be a part of it. 

In 1997 one of the very first Social Media networks was launched, named the Six Degrees profile uploading service in 1997. Ever since that time, hundreds of Social Media networks ventures have been pushed out into the world. 
Social Media can be informative, entertaining and a way to connect with others, but there are negative aspects we should think about.

​TIME
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These networks can waste time and create a lot of different negative feelings. We may find that we don't have enough time to do what we need to get done during the day; that we aren't spending enough time with friends or family; or that we don't have enough free time to ourselves, so we have to ask ourselves how much of our valuable time should we give to Social Media.

VALUE

How many Social Media networks do we belong to and how many is too many? Being active in many Social Media networks eats up our days or evenings, may keep us from achieving what is important to us and may degrade our personal relationships with our loved ones, family, friends and with the communities in which we live in.

CONFLICT

Social Media networks we joined years ago may no longer be relevant to our lives today, but habit keeps us going back, wasting our precious time and getting little or nothing out of it.
Some Social Media networks that we visit don't really please us, they make us sad or angry or contribute nothing to our lives, but habit forces us into this unpleasant tasks.

In Social Media networks where we choose our communities, some of the people we have allowed into our groups cause us to feel unsettled, embarrassed, angry or dispirited. Social Network applications are not friendships, they are not family relationships, they are just online groups, which we have the power to control and we should.

In Spring we sometimes think about Spring cleaning, and we should also consider our online lives and the task of clearing out our Toxic Social Media (TSM). 

Focus on:

• Time - How much of your own time on this planet do you want to devote to Social Media?
• Value - What is the value of these Social Media interactions, what can you let go of that you will not even miss?
• Conflict - What are the changes you can make to your Social Media spheres that would make them more relaxed, fun an enjoyable?

Reducing our levels of stress is something we can control and our Social Media lifestyle could be a big part of that. Take some time to review and make some positive changes to reap the rewards of healthy social media ecosystem!

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First published on the Quora space Mind-Body and Chronic Pain

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