Creating a Non-Toxic Social Media Space

Detoxifying your Social Media

After a long day, sometimes I find it relaxing to simply scroll through Instagram, laugh at a meme and watch a couple of Youtube videos. "Social media is still energy exchange", my friend Sarah-Kate often says. I have only recently realized this and feel social media is the major contributor to the perception of my interests, my view of the world and view of myself.

I think this is a very relevant discussion to have at this time of the year. If you are unaware of current affairs, COVID-19 has been declared as a National Disaster by our President Cyril Ramaphosa. Schools and universities have closed until 15 April 2020. It is an uncertain and emotionally exhausting time for many.

Trends such as drinking several cups of ginger tea per day, panic buying household essentials and using excessive amounts of hand sanitizer, are circulating the internet. A skill you need to cultivate is not blindly trusting popular information as our reliance on the internet and social media is growing each day. Creating a non-toxic social media space by noticing what/who you are following, is vital to your emotional and physical wellbeing.

↚ Here are the top 5 ways to start the task of detoxifying your social media: ↛

1. Understand why you follow a page

Following a page means that you are choosing to support this page and their content. It is a conscious decision. Making a decision to follow a page can initially be spontaneous, but you should reflect once they begin appearing on your feed.

Understanding why your follow a page is so important because your name will appear as a follower. Do you want to be affiliated with the page, its content and their followers? Would you feel comfortable if people present in your life, casual/semi-/formal relationships, were to know you follow this page? These are questions I like to ask myself from time to time while scrolling through my feed.

2. Establish who you want to be following and why

Determining the type of page you want to be following is a useful tool in this decision process. I like to categorize the people I follow. For example, I chose categories of makeup, fitness and world news. When I find myself straying from these categories and following food gurus and DIY pages, I come back to my categories and refocus it.

You may be asking, why is this necessary and what is wrong with following something out of "category"? I like to think of this as a tailor made process to your needs and to ensure eventual balance. I enjoy baking. But when I follow too many baking pages that cram my feed with cake baking hacks, I bake far too much cake in a week. The same can apply to exercise or current affairs. If you don't notice that balance being skewed, then you will struggle to maintain a beneficial space on social media suited to you.

3. Keep track of the type of energy you receive when seeing a post on your timeline

I think we are all currently in this situation regarding the Corona Virus. I am constantly bombarded with news updates about the Corona Virus via Instagram, emails from companies, SMS's from the Health Department, PSA during TV shows, quick Corona tips circulating on TikTok and lengthy discussions on the radio and podcasts. It is crazy! I am currently left feeling drained and overwhelmed with information.


This feeling in ordinary circumstances is something you should be controlling. Following a meme page to make you and friends laugh, a positive quote page to encourage good energy throughout your day and even a celebrity that inspires you, all contribute to your upbeat and positive energy.




4. Follow people who look or act like you

You are allowed to follow and unfollow as you grow or your phases of life change. I like to unfollow my favourite makeup pages and rather follow more meditation accounts during my exam period. I feel as though this helps to keep me focused and calm during my exam period. The fun part is returning to the page after a few months and bingeing on their content.

You shouldn't be afraid of following and unfollowing people as you choose. They might not be working or going in the same direction as you at that time, thus making it difficult for you to remain anchored in your tasks and vision.

I believe following people who look or act like you in that period of time, is something you need to be "feeding" yourself through your feed. If you are trying to grow your business, following an up and coming brand can leave you feeling inspired and confident about your choices each time you leave your feed. If you are trying to explore nature and your gardening, following a photography account that photographs city-life and not nature, may not encourage you to lean toward your desired gardening goals.

5. Be aware of your own insecurities

Social media has the nasty habit of exploiting your insecurities. It can be difficult to take the advice of not zooming in on your insecurities, but social media can help you build confidence too. It starts by being aware of yourself. Noting how you feel about your body, mind, skills, talents and so much more, can really help you to understand why you feel insecure in the first place.

Follow accounts that are facing the same struggles as you. If you have acne, there are acne journals and skin positive accounts you can follow. If you struggle with body dysmorphia, do not follow weight-loss accounts, but rather body neutral activists.


I hope you feel that these 5 tips can become a process you keep in mind whilst scrolling through your social media. Media has power, even when you least expect it. Make sure you are aware of the energy exchange and that you have the power to detoxify your feed.

JustJessJournals ♡xo
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