All of those accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok,
That give great advice,
Show you exactly what to wear,
How to think differently,
And motivate you to be your best self,
Are also keeping you stressed and anxious.
Not because what they’re saying isn’t true or valuable.
But because every time you look at those accounts you see
what you don’t have,
what you don’t believe,
and something else you need to try to feel differently.
Every time you sit down to relax, or
you grab your phone to distract yourself,
When you pause to read, like, comment, save, or share a post,
The algorithm gives you more posts and videos that make you think
You’re a mess.
You’re not doing it right.
You’re missing out.
You’re a terrible mom.
Your house isn’t good enough.
You’re never going to be good enough,
fit enough,
pretty enough,
whatever enough.
You have to control your feed or your feed will control your mental health.
Doing simple things like
Unfollowing accounts that make you feel afraid, like a failure, or less than
Resetting your search history on each app
Blocking keywords that take you down a rabbit hole of research and leave you anxious and angry
And Finding other things to do when you have the urge to mindlessly scroll
Can help you be more present, use the knowledge you have collected in all those posts, and lower your anxiety.
I’m going to talk more about why putting your phone down for periods of time isn’t just a great idea, but a life-changing shift in next week’s podcast episode on dopamine detoxing.
You can get started now by cleaning up your feed and asking for personalized help that goes way beyond quotes, memes, and videos.
To stop mindlessly scrolling and create habits that work for you, talk to me on a consultation call.
<3 Megan
P.S. Your life beyond stress and anxiety begins with a decision. You can decide now to change how your body feels and how you respond when you're anxious, so anxiety loses its power. The question isn't, “Am I ready?” The question is, “Have I decided to be ready?”
P.P.S. Be sure to check out Episode 73 of the More than Anxiety Podcast to hear more about How the Algorithm is Keeping You Anxious wherever you listen. While you’re there, take a quick minute to leave a review and follow so you don’t miss a beat and help others find the podcast as well. Thanks!
