So a lot of my friends have completed or are attempting the tidying up method of Marie Kondo, which consists of keeping the things that spark joy in your life, giving some thing away, and getting rid of others. I don’t personally follow all of her ideas, I’m not folding all my clothes into perfect squares, but I do believe a clean and organized space creates opportunity for optimal use and peace.

Like my closet and my dresser drawers, my mind is a space as well… and I treat it much the same way. Social media and the multitude of swirling ideas and thoughts going on at once is something that takes up space in one’s mind, and in my mind, there are just some things I want to minimize. I don’t feel bad about it. I don’t care if people don’t like it or are so attached to social media likes and the length of their friends list it bothers them. But the unfriend button is your friend. I know I have I unfriended folks and the absence of their incessant complaints, humble bragging, and sometimes just their presence has sparked a joy in me.

Let me explain:

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are my social media sites of choice. I love a good meme, a powerful statement, an inspirational quote, a funny story, a life update, a friend’s thoughts on a current event, a little bit of shade, and a peppering of petty… but much like my real life, if I don’t deal with you in real life, if I’m not inspired by you, or just generally love your content, chances are I don’t really care what you have to say. That may come across unkind, and it’s not intended that way. It is simply the truth.

I’m not interested in folks who are rape apologists, racists, panderers to the patriarchy, R.Kelly “separate the man from his art” folks, hoteps, folks collecting friends and likes out of insecurity, keyboard gangsters who can’t hold a real conversation in person, blind followers, and anyone I used to talk to but decided against talking to in real life. Those people just add to my social media anxiety. I don’t want to even see anything they have to say because it’s likely to set me off, which will lead me to comment, or want to comment. That’s me. I’m sure you have your list… honor it.

When you clear up your timeline and fill it with inspiration, funny anecdotes, GOT conversations, and dance videos, it will make your social media time a break from your stressful life, not an addition. Read about, talk about, and view things that spark joy, and if there are people you follow who sour your experience, for your own peace, don’t be afraid to hit the button. And after you hit it, and your friend list goes down by one, post this:

If that meme doesn’t spark joy… we’ll probably never be Facebook friends or real friends, and you might be in your way to the “get rid of” pile!

Jokes, it’s just jokes.