It more difficult to stay positive on social media and the blogosphere these days when you are bombarded by negative feelings and ideas on a daily basis. I have recently seen many posts about how blogging is changing (for the worse), the Instagram algorithm sucks and bloggers are liars. Basically, the rhetoric is that blogging is all round more difficult. I have also witnessed a couple of twitter fights among people and Snapchat stories where someone is calling another person names and asking for a fight. It is all very exhausting to witness.
Regarding the blogging situation, I personally believe that blogging and it’s platforms must eventually evolve and change. There may be a few growing pains while that happens, but there is always room to thrive in any environment!
I’m a generally positive person so I always try to avoid negativity at all costs now. Be it negative thoughts like anger and envy or just negative people and posts in general. It is not always easy, but here are some of the tactics I had to adopt to let go of that negativity!
Out of sight, out of mind.
Everyone knows the best way to get over something is to cut all contact. I think the same can be applied in dealing with negativity and negative emotions. Everything I ingest on social media is done in a conscious manner now because I know how slippery that slope is. One minute you’re admiring the beautiful vacation someone took and the next minute you’re wallowing in self-pity about how shitty your own life is.
Everyone is living different lives and it is very clear that social media is not what it seems. Most people show you the best versions of themselves. When they are laughing and looking their best in beautiful places. They don’t show you their tears, fears or struggles. Everyone has bad days. The person who’s life you think is perfect may be dealing with worse problems than you. For this reason, it’s very important to not compare your life at face value to other people on social media.
I also periodically assess how the people I follow make me feel. Do I feel inspired following this person or does it bring up negative feelings on my part? If I feel negative feelings, I unfollow that person immediately. It doesn’t matter if they are a stranger I met from the internet or a close friend. Surrounding myself with people who bring positive thoughts and feelings is important for my mental health and well-being! I believe our mental health is something we should not take lightly.
Ignore, Block, Repeat.
Whenever we are attacked by someone on the internet it’s very easy to think of a witty reply and lash out to the person that hurt you. But when you take a few seconds to assess the situation you realise that the people who are attacking you are probably projecting their insecurities on you. Once you’re aware of this, it is easier to let things go.
I have thankfully not been in any major conflicts on social media for a while now but I realised that they dwindled down once I started ignoring the people that attacked me. Arguing is a massive waste of time to me. It hardly goes anywhere and you can end up saying something very hurtful. I now have the policy of if I get attacked, I will silently block the person. It preserves my dignity and cuts the conflict short.
However, some things are harder to ignore than others and in that case, I’m an advocate for standing up for yourself. But it’s important to pick and choose our battles.
Put things in perspective.
Putting your life in perspective and really acknowledging the privileges that you have is a good practice to adopt. You may not have a perfect life on paper, but there is almost always something to be thankful for. Focusing on the good things in your life can help you let go of the negativity. Also, having a positive outlook in the midst of negativity is a very important.
I also noticed that a lot of the things I used to get riled up about on the internet are really not that important in the grand scheme of things. Once I realized this, I stopped letting things get to me or offend me and just let it go!
Take a breather
Designating time to focus on you is great. It refreshes you and may make social media seem not so negative anymore. I have at least one day of the week where I don’t open my Instagram or WordPress. This activity became important to me after my Social Media Detox. It allowed me to forget the world of ones and zeros and really be in the moment. Sometimes it’s difficult to leave because there is this irrational a fear of missing out, but I always try to remember that it will be there when I come back!
Final Tip: Follow loads of meme accounts on Instagram, you will not be disappointed. LOL
I hope you enjoyed reading this post! I would love to know what your thoughts are on negativity in general.
How do you feel about negative posts and negativity on social media?
How do you deal with that negativity?
Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest – Twitter
[ Smiles ] In spite of the negativity that is present in the blogosphere and the social media, people can associate themselves with positive-minded people!
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Very true, we just have to choose to actively pursue that positivity daily! Thank you for commenting ๐
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[ Smiles ] You are most welcome!
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I couldn’t agree any better…
If I have to express my thoughts to someone after a negative comment, I respond, make sure the person sees it and then block! I don’t have time for that kind of energy for negativity.
And social media detox once in a while is bliss! I’ve been doing it well for the past two weeks and it’s really refreshing!
Good post!
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I agree! It’s so exhausting to be going back and forth with someone. I don’t have the energy I’ll just block you ๐๐
And I’m glad you’re doing a detox too it’s really the best! Thank you so much for commenting โค๏ธโค๏ธ
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These are all amazing, mature tips. I have to admit . . . I had no idea about any negativity in the blogging world. I guess not using social media much worked out well for me in that respect!xxx
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Girl just keep it that way! Haha Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad. Esp social media! Thank you for the comment โค๏ธโค๏ธ
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I love the first tip that you have given. I used to think there was something wrong with me when i would see posts by certain people on social media and automatically feel like shit about my own life. I wasn’t sure if i should unfollow some people as i didn’t want to miss out but honestly once it’s gone you don’t even notice that it isn’t there! ‘ out of sight, out of mind’ – great advice xx
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Thank you girl! It’s natural to feel envious of other people’s lives sometimes and wonder why yours isn’t as good. There is no point of fighting that mental battle of trying to keep up with them! Once they’re gone, it’s so much easier to appreciate your own! Thank you so much for the lovely comment ๐๐ xx
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My dear you are preaching to the choir on this post. My latest post is all about the shaming that goes on what I like to call the Big Three of Social Media , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . Look out for it. The blogging world , I haven’t noticed as much negativity and JUST DOWN RIGHT WICKED MEANESS as I’ve seen on Social media , especially Facebook and Twitter . You can’t unblock everyone , but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do . Great post as usual .
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Yes Twitter is especially bad sometimes when it comes to the negativity! I started having to unfollow a lot of people recently because of that. It’s way more better now for me. I’ll definitely check out your post on your blog. Thank you so much for reading I’m glad you liked it โค๏ธโค๏ธ
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I totally agree with you that there should be one day of the week where I should bail out of social media. Would definetly keep that in mind.
https://kozdiaries.wordpress.com/
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Thanks girl! I’m glad you got some little tip from reading this. ๐
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I also unfollow those who I perceive as negative. On facebook I simply unfollow their feed if I’m still in contact with the person. Also, I love that you don’t feed the perpetrator when it comes to online fights. I also love that you mention that they project their issues onto others. Great wisdom and advice!
Natalie | Natalie’s Alchemy
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Thank you very much Natalie! It’s definitely not easy to feed into those fights and unfollow but it’s the best thing to do! Sometimes the people that lash out are often doing that because they’re dealing with issues of their own. I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. Thank you for the lovely comment ๐๐
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i think this is a good way to be on social media. It can get very overwhelming at times โฅ
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It really does! That’s why I always take a break for one day of the week before I go crazy ๐
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Lovely post ๐ i need to unfollow all the petty people but i just feel so bad ๐
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Lmao unfollow away girl! Petty people are really not worth your time and sanity hun. ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ
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I haven’t noticed any negativity in the blogging world, which I’m really thankful for ๐
But I do agree with your advice here, cut it out, and focus on the positive, you don’t need that drama ๐
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Thank you Angela! I’m not surprised, the blogging community is almost always supportive and positive as a whole which is great. It’s social media that mainly gets a bad rap ๐๐ Thank you for the lovely comment ๐๐
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Heyy, I’ve nominated you for The Mystery Blogger Blogger Award and i would love if it you would check it out: https://beauty762.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/mystery-blogger-award/
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Thank you for the nomination! I’ll check it out โค๏ธ
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Thank you for this insightful post, as a new blogger this has given me the confidence to deal with any negativity whether online or not.
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Thank you dear! I’m so glad this could help you ๐๐
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This was such a lovely read, thank you for sharing. I used to be bullied on Twitter until I got to a point of deactivating my account. After some time off I came back with a completely different mindset to the world of social media. If you let complete strangers get to you they really will but I now know better. I can also relate to the comparison thing on Instagram. That place is the devil’s playground. You end up feeling like you are doing absolutely nothing worthwhile all because of picture! I once wrote a post on this sometime back: https://makupsy.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/day-20-comparison-will-steal-your-joy/
I love your style of writing by the way, I feel like we just had one amazing conversation ๐
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Oh that sucks. I’m sorry that you were bullied! And that’s so true, you can literally step away from it at anytime and it’s so simple (but not easy) to walk away from social media and not let things get to you. Instagram really is the devils playground. If you aren’t consciously scrolling through its very easy to enter a downward spiral. I’ll definitely check your post out on the Instagram comparison thing! Thank you so much for taking out the time to comment ๐๐
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Well said! It’s lovely to see a positive, rather than a negative about blogging. Everything I see is now about blogging being ‘oversaturated’ and it’s really demeaning when you’re trying to enjoy something! โบ๏ธ๐
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Lmao girl if I hear a blogger talk about how saturated it is one more time Iโll lose my head ๐๐ It really puts a damper on things and makes smaller bloggers seem more unwanted in the community. There is space for everyone to be honest! Let everyone, both big and small just enjoy the blogging process for what it is and stop complaining ๐๐ Stellar input dear! Thanks for commenting ๐๐
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I enjoyed reading this post and I love that you were not holding back emotions in the post. I have been a social media detox myself and it was refreshing. You really don’t miss as much as you think and after a while you get used to not “keeping up”.
What is important to keep up with is my life.
http://www.Ijefinelivin.com
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I know right? You really have nothing to prove to anyone at the end of the day. It’s better to keep up with your own life than the Jones’s! Which is why I’m a big believer of the detox it really helps clear your head! Thank you for the lovely input girl ๐๐
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You are welcome ๐
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I was in the same situation before a week…
It was very helpful..
Thanks
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Thank you! I’m glad I could helpโค๏ธโค๏ธ
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Such an important post! Thanks for sharing!
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Some really good tips, thanks for sharing. It’s important to keep negativity out of our lives, especially online! I don’t really see why people are often so nasty though – if you don’t like something, why not click away?
Kathrin — http://mycupofenglishtea.wordpress.com
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I agree with taking a breather! Always makes me feel better!
http://sayeedahsparkles.com
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Great post! This is important when you are active on social media! There will always be people with negative opinions but you just need to focus on the positive.
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You’re very right! Focus on what’s important and don’t get side tracked by the negatives! Thanks for commenting โค๏ธโค๏ธ
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Good points! I personally just start out muting people (especially on twitter) and then if it’s too much, i unfollow anyone who brings negativity to my feed. LIFE IS TOO SHORT BIKO.
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Same here!! I have a lot of people that I know in real life, but have messy tweets. I can’t unfollow them but I can just mute them. Thank God for the mute button ๐๐ but if that’s not working unfollow straight mehn no time
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I can mute for Africa mehn. lmbooo no time for real.
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Thankyou for sharing!! I’m attempting to do a little bit of a social media cleanse. I’m starting small, so no posting snapchat or Instagram stories and no viewing others. Have you ever done something like this? Did it work? x
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These are rally good tips. So important to find that balance. Having boundaries and healthy distance can be a very positive thing.
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So insightful! Honestly, for me, I choose not to follow those accounts that will enduce unnecessary chest pains (e.g. following thick women with insane bodies) because I know that that’s not what I look like and that’s not reasonably achievable for me right now. So that essentially is my way of avoiding negativity, because as much as it may seem trivial it definitely affects your thoughts and can quickly make you start to feel like you are not good enough!
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