Feeling burnt out? 5 tips to deep clean your social media feeds and curate positivity
The number one factor that brings clients to me for help with their creative burnout stems from social media. My clients are creatives, artists, designers, photographers, and they’re facing a lot of pressure day-to-day to create and show up. That’s a big indicator of impending burnout.
I’m L, I’m a business coach for creative queer folks- and I’m going to share 5 tips to help curate your social media feeds for positivity (and throw out the “trash”)
Tip number 1: what app are you on the most?
We all have a favorite app, one that we click to first, that we share the most updates to, and that we are most likely to doom scroll on before bed. I’m willing to bet 25% of your mood can be affected based on what you’re experiencing on that social media feed alone — and that doesn’t include your email inbox or other social media accounts.
The app you spend the most time on, needs your attention first.
Tip number 2: Unfollow your least faves, and your ultra faves.
This is a trick I learned in 2019, when I was dealing with imposter syndrome and feeling like a lot of my feed featured people I was jealous of // wanted to be, but it only furthered my inaction towards progress. Aka I saw people who had what I wanted and it bummed me out, didn’t inspire me.
So I unfollow the people who’s content I interacted with the most, and who’s content I interacted with the least. This gives you a neutral feed for a few days, and brings different content to the top of mind than you may have seen previously. You might see more of your personal friends’ posts, or connect with different brands than usual. (On Instagram, you can see who you interact with the most and who you interact with the least)
Tip number 3: delete the apps, not the accounts
I get the MOST pushback on this tip with clients. If you’re used to accessing social media everyday on your phone, this might feel like turning out the lights in an escape room for a hot minute. The panic you’re feeling is valid, but social media will continue on whether you get push notifications or check it once a week on your laptop. I promise. That fear will chill out once you adjust to not having apps to click back to.
I delete twitter and instagram off my phone every week // few days or so. I’ve made this a habit since 2020 and have found it helps me be MUCH more present on dates, with friends and allows me to reconnect with my long distance pals via phone call or video chats because I’m not as distracted.
Hot tip: I’m a social media manager, so I get the connection you might feel, or rather the compulsion or responsibility to show up; they’ve created a multitude of 3rd party applications that can handle scheduling posts, and likely, if your audience disappears after you not posting for a week, they weren’t that loyal to begin with.
Tip number 4: fill social media time with something else
A big source of burnout is when my clients feel empty, and are on a social media break. They’re trying to stay off socials, but they don’t feel motivated to create, or do anything other than doom scroll. When you’re in this trench, it can be hard to get out. I get that.
I suggest finding an activity: going on walks, reading at the library, or going to the gas station for a snack. Something easy you can do when you feel overwhelmed with a whole lot of….nothing to do. I won’t say start painting or writing, because for many of my clients that IS what’s burning them out. Stepping away from social media only solves one part of the problem, you have to be willing to try something new, to fill that gap in your daily life.
Tip number 5: Find a new way to connect with the people you really REALLY care about
For me, this was sending postcards and giving my internet pals permission to text and call me. It solved SO much of my dependency on social media to know my friends could access me in a much simpler way and we could stay connected when I’m not checking instagram or twitter.
This is a huge part of burnout, especially if you do social media for your job. The separation of your community from where you’re essentially “logging in to work” is imperative to the wellness of your mental, emotional and physical health.
