Thread by @terrajobst

Many people are stressed by social media, especially Twitter.

Here is what I do to keep my sanity:

1. Be selective who you follow. Choose uplifting people and people you enjoy talking to.

2. Mute and block liberally. “But freedom of speech”. Nonsense. You choose your friends and parties in real life. Same applies to social media. It’s not immoral to ignore people who dunk on you. This also includes the annoying “devil’s advocate” personalities.

3. Choose your online persona. I mostly use Twitter for work and for engagement with the .NET community. But I’m still a human. Don’t let others dictate what you can and cannot talk about.

4. Choose wether you use your real name or a pseudonym. Social media is about authentic and real human encounters. Your name isn’t as important has how honest you can be in your conversations. Being anonymous is totally cool if that lets you be who you are.

5. Ignore what’s trending and mute words that trigger you. Many people, me included, will post about politics. Consider muting words from areas that trigger you.

6. Be kind. Sounds simple but is actually not always easy. One thing I’ve learned is that there is a huge difference between what people write and what they mean. Communication is hard and many are non-native speakers. But be kind to yourself too & don’t take shit either, see 2.

7. Take breaks. For most of us, being on social media is a choice, not a job. Don’t make it your job. Go offline when you’re overwhelmed. The truly important people in your life will know how to reach you.

8. Keep in mind that social media heavily distorts. Most of the time you’re presented with all the awesomeness that is happening in other people’s life. This can be depressing. But consider you often don’t see their struggles.

9. Live the life that makes you happy, not the life that generates the most likes. Social media can make you addicted to get other people’s approval. But don’t forget that the most important approval is given by yourself and the people you love.

10. Please spell .NET properly. I might be biased, but I found it improves my mental health.