Why Your Social Media Feed Is a Diet, And It's Time to Eat More Intentionally

When I follow too many accounts on social media, I notice that my feed slowly starts to lose its clarity, the content I genuinely love and want to see gets buried under noise, and I end up scrolling for longer while feeling less inspired, less focused, and somehow less satisfied by what I’m consuming.

Because of that, I’ve learned to declutter my social media intentionally, unfollowing and re-following accounts as my interests, needs, and seasons of life change, even though it’s rarely a clean or final process. People I’ve unfollowed often reappear on my Explore page, I’m reminded of them, sometimes I re-subscribe, and before long the familiar cycle begins again, which I’ve come to see not as a failure, but simply as part of being human and evolving.

About once a year (usually while I’m sitting in the car waiting for my daughter during her ballet lesson) I take the time to slowly go through the full list of accounts I follow, not with the intention of being ruthless, but simply to check in with myself and notice what still feels relevant to who I am right now.

What I pay the most attention to in these moments is how content makes me feel in my body. Do I feel quietly inspired and grounded, or do I feel inadequate, behind, or subtly not enough? Is the content genuinely informative or supportive, or does it leave me feeling like I should be doing more, being more, or living differently in ways that don’t actually align with my real life?

I often think of social media as a kind of diet. What we consume doesn’t just pass through us unchanged, it gets absorbed, shapes our thoughts, influences our nervous system, and affects how we see ourselves and the world around us. In exactly the same way, the content we take in online shapes who we are becoming, how we think, how we behave, and how we feel about ourselves, often far more deeply than we realise.

How to Declutter Your Social Media (Without Overwhelm)

This doesn’t need to be a big, dramatic clear-out, and it certainly doesn’t need to happen all at once. In fact, it works best when you approach it gently and with curiosity rather than pressure.

Step 1: Choose a Low-Pressure Moment

Pick a time when you’re already waiting or resting, sitting in the car, on public transport, waiting for a class or appointment, or winding down in the evening. This should feel like a quiet check-in, not another task to complete.

Step 2: Work in Small, Manageable Batches

Instead of scrolling through your entire following list, set a soft boundary. You might look at ten accounts, or simply go until you notice your energy dropping, and then stop. You can always return to it another day.

Step 3: Ask One Honest Question

As you open each account, ask yourself:
“How do I feel when I see this content?”
Before analysing or justifying, notice your immediate response. Inspired, calm, and supported — or tense, inadequate, and drained?

Step 4: Use Simple Decision Filters

You don’t need complicated rules. These gentle prompts are enough:

• Does this still feel relevant to my life right now?

• Does this support who I’m becoming?

• Would I choose to follow this account today if I discovered it for the first time?

If the answer is uncertain or heavy, that’s information.

Step 5: Unfollow Without Guilt

Unfollowing is not rejection, it’s not personal, and it’s not permanent. People and content can move in and out of your life as your needs change, and you’re allowed to curate your online environment in a way that supports you.

Step 6: Expect the Cycle

Some accounts will reappear on your Explore page, and you may follow them again in the future. That doesn’t mean you’ve undone your progress, it simply means you’re evolving, and your awareness is growing.

Decluttering your social media isn’t something you “finish.” It’s an ongoing practice of noticing, choosing, and gently realigning with what actually nourishes you.

Because this is content you consume every single day.

And just like food, your online diet deserves care, intention, and regular attention, again and again.