Self-Care and... Social Media Boundaries

Social media can be pretty overwhelming. You want to stay in touch with your friends and family (and super cute fuzzy creatures and squishy baby faces), but the incessant memes, the violent articles and videos, and the stunted conversations can feel triggering, impersonal, and traumatizing. In my latest article for Psyched in San Francisco, I share my perspective on how to cultivate your social media in a way that offers a replenishing space for self-care, rather than increasing burnout.

In order to feel like social media is a warm and supportive space, and not just another Reddit forum, I now have come to consider Facebook like an online living room. The people I’m connected with are folks I would invite into my home for a lively conversation, even if I don’t agree with them. These are people who can tolerate difference without shutting down or becoming antagonistic. These folks don’t insult each other when they disagree.... They can help me see things differently and are willing to do the same. These are all skills I’m cultivating in myself, and it’s important to me to have good examples of people on a similar journey of growth.

How would you cultivate your Facebook page – and any social media you use – to be more like an extension of the people you'd like to have in your living room? The internet is made up of all of us, all of our opinions, histories, thoughts, feelings, and perspectives, including yours. What are some steps you can take today to cultivate a space that makes you feel inspired as well as awake?

(part of me feels like telling her.... "Hey! Look up!")