Oh social media, can’t live with it, can’t live without it.
I find Facebook is the biggest one that people have the most opinions and emotional reactions to. It’s AMAZING. Full of your friends, potential clients, mentors, and interest groups. So much potential goodness there!
But also, EVERYONE’S opinions and feelings. It’s an avalanche of emotions, feelings, reactions, political views, sports updates, business sales pitches, inspirational quotes and baby pictures. It’s easy to compare and despair.
It’s easy to pretend someone else’s highlight reel is THE TRUTH and that their life is sparkles, rainbows and artsy selfies all the time. And it’s easy to spend DAYS going through your newsfeed, comparing other peoples highlight reels to your whole life. If you’re a business owner, it’s impossible to avoid Facebook.
Because I want to underscore that we are people on Facebook, which I think can sometimes get overlooked or ignored, I made a video with my top three strategies for avoiding the Facebook time + energy drain. Also I look like a glamorous floating head, because I wore the same color dress as my couch, eggplant. Opps 🙂
Step 1: Be active in a few groups.
It’s am impossible task to gain traction and make authentic connections in 20 fb groups. Pick a few, highly targeted ones, then get comfortable. Be of service, and for goodness sakes, no drive-by promos or wallpapering (where you plaster your offering in 10 groups in 10 minutes.)
Step 2: Be mindful of your words.
Remember with text based communication, there’s no nuance, and most people have never met you. Be intentional and clear.
Step 3: Choose your conversations.
You don’t have to answer every question, or respond to everything. It’s ok to be selective and intentional with how you spend your time and wisdom.
Bonus Step 4: Don’t look to Facebook to get your emotional needs met.
Sometimes those things happen. You post something, a celebration, a plea, a request, and you’re heartwarmingly met with love and support. And sometimes…crickets. It’s impossible to know what’s going to stick in the midst of all the noise. We can’t take it personally, and we can’t look to an internet hub to take care of our emotional needs. If you need something, and it’s important you get it, don’t leave it up to the FB algorithms. Text your best friend. Reach out to your mastermind. Take responsibility for your needs, and ask real people to meet them for you, not the internet. Let the internet be a really nice bonus, not your emotional bedrock.
What about you? What are some ways YOU stay sane around social media? I’d love to hear in the comments!
