As women, we are no strangers to obsessing about our diets.
We understand that what we put into our mouths becomes what we see in the mirror, and so often we try to restrict our intake. At our best, we eat clean, healthy, organic foods to give us the nutrients we need, to make sure we are only putting The Best into our bodies.
But we don't often bring the same awareness to our consumption of content.
What if we did?
Because, you see, in exactly the same way that the food you put in your mouth becomes your body, the content you read and watch and listen to BECOMES YOUR BRAIN.
So today I'm putting you on a content diet!
Don't worry, you don't need to delete all your favorite apps or become a social media hermit. In the same way I hope you'll never stop eating, the goal here isn't to go cold turkey. The goal is to create a diet of content that nourishes you, and makes you feel awesome on a regular basis.
in exactly the same way that the food you put in your mouth becomes your body, the content you read and watch and listen to BECOMES YOUR BRAIN.
Step 1: Track what you consume, and how it makes you feel
I want you to open your preferred social media network (Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, whatever you're on most) and scroll through your feed for a good 20 minutes. Don't like or comment on anything. Instead, look at each individual post and ask yourself "how does this post make me feel?".
Try to come up with a one-word answer for each post you see.
Ex. A post of your good friend's wedding picture might make you feel "Nostalgic" "Warm" or maybe even "Jealous" or "Bitter". Don't judge the feelings just notice them.
Pay special attention to the posts from companies, or from people you don't know in real life, like influencers or celebrities.
At the end of the 20 minutes, put down your phone and notice how you feel overall. Practice this step once a day for about 3 days.
Step 2: Add more nutritious content
Now that you're pretty aware of how each post is making you feel, seek out more good feelings by following people and hashtags that make you feel great! If you feel super calm after looking at people's vacation photos, search for "travel" or "adventure", and follow accounts that inspire you. If you love looking at dogs, find some dogstagrams to follow!
The other part of adding nutritious content is making sure it always shows up in your feed by intentionally interacting with it. Comment to let someone know you loved their post or story and it made you feel ______. For one, they'll be happy about the feedback and connection. And for another thing, the social media algorithms will now show you their content more often.
You can also add your own nutritious content for other people to see! Make a point of creating the same content you love to see and putting it out into the world to nourish others! This is the social media equivalent to bringing some vegan brownies to your office potluck: no one has to know it's healthy, they'll just enjoy it!
Step 3: Cut out unhealthy consumption
Now that you've added some delicious new content to your feed, it's time to start cutting out the things that you know are bad for you. Each time you open your app, make a point of unfollowing or blocking at least one source of content that makes you feel gross, less-than, or anxious.
If you're doing this on Facebook, you can either unfriend or just choose to stop seeing their content. On Instagram, you can unfollow, or "mute" them so that their content doesn't show in your feed.
Unfollow hashtags that consistently give you FOMO or other bad feelings like comparison, judgment, or envy. If you notice that a certain platform gives you many more bad feelings than good ones, you may want to consider cutting it out entirely (this is why I'm not on twitter!).
I had you start this cleanse on social media because it's the one I find myself on most often. You can also apply it broadly to podcasts, music, streaming videos, books, and magazines. And remember, this doesn't mean you can't ever consume content that doesn't feel great. Sometimes it's important to stay informed, or experience uncomfortable points of view. But just like cleaning all the junk food out of your kitchen doesn't mean you'll never eat a doughnut again, cleaning your content kitchen just allows you to spend more time in a positive, productive headspace. From there, when you do engage with something more difficult, you'll start to experience it in a more calm and centered way.
Ready to take more control over what’s going on in your brain and body? Click Here to set up your free activation call with me!