How to Unfollow on Social Media the Right Way

These days it seems like the whole internet is a hot mess – and social media is a dumpster fire. Obviously, I love social media and engaging with different accounts. But, now and then, I need to do a little social media clean-up because it stops feeling fun. I find that I am following accounts that simply aren’t good for me to follow, and I always wind up feeling like a weight has lifted after I click “unfollow.” Social media becomes fun again.

How to Unfollow Without Them Knowing

One of the main reasons that women are stuck following accounts that make them upset is because they are worried the person will know they “unfollowed” them. Fortunately, it is super easy to unfollow someone on social media without them knowing. Unless you tell them, you will still show up in the friends or followers list, but you will not see their posts in your feed. It is amazing, and 100% worth it.

For Facebook, you simply need to click the three dots icon on the top of the post. There are two helpful options. There is SNOOZE for thirty days, which allows you to hide the person’s posts for thirty days. This is perfect for accounts that you may just need a time out from. And, there is UNFOLLOW, which means you stop seeing posts from this person but still remain on their friends' list. This means you can still go to their page if you are curious and they still see you listed as a friend.

For Instagram, you can unfollow an account, but you will not appear on their followers' list. This means they will know you no longer follow them if they look at their list. However, Instagram has a MUTE option. Again, you hit the three dots icon and simply select “Mute.” Instagram also allows you to Mute stories by long-tapping on their story icon and selecting “Mute.”

5 Reasons Why You Need to Unfollow Someone

Now, some of you may think that I am just harsh. I don’t think you should go on an unfollow binge or anything like that. Instead, I think you should have clear reasons for unfollowing someone on social media. Here are five reasons I use:

1. All of their posts annoy you. I’m not talking about one post; I’m talking about repetitive behavior.

2. Their posts are hurtful or offensive.

3. Their posts turn you into the green-eyed monster.

4. Their posts make you feel less than your best (such as feeling like you aren’t doing enough, good enough, etc.).

5. Their posts tempt you to do things you shouldn’t do (such as breaking sobriety or buying more than you should).

The 3 Types of People You Should Follow

Pop Sugar says, “Unfollow anyone who can shift your mood in a negative direction, and instead, add people/accounts that inspire you or bring you joy. The result will be a detoxed feed limited to only those worthy of your time.”

In turn, your detoxed feed should be filled with the following three types of people.

1. People who bring you joy.

2. People who inspire you.

3. People who love you and you love in return.

It’s Time to Stop Looking at Your Pics Only on Your Phone and Print Them Out

Moms, we have a problem. We have started to rely solely on our phones to collect and store all of our precious photos. I’m guilty of this, and I bet you are, too. I take tons of pictures on my phone every day, but for what purpose? It’s not like I am printing them out or viewing them regularly. They are just taking up memory space on my phone.

I’m not telling you to stop taking pictures. No way! I think the ability to snap pics anytime we want is one of the best things about modern technology. What I am talking about is the fact that we don’t ever print them out. Why take all these pics if you aren’t ever going to see them? If you have countless photos stored on your phone but not on your walls, this one is for you.

Technology will fail.

We have all experienced a technology fail. As much as we would like to believe our photos are safe on our phones or our computers, these things crash, and our photos crash right alongside them. Plus, even if you have wisely uploaded all your photos to a cloud storage system, it doesn’t mean you will always have the technology to access and view them.

You will actually look at them.

If you are anything like me, you do look through photos on your phone. However, with the huge number of photos, you likely don’t go all the way back and look at photos from years ago. Who does that? Many moms rely solely on social media flashbacks to see their old pics. But, if you have them printed out, you will actually look at the pics from years past.

They make great gifts.

Few things make grandparents happier than receiving a printed photo of their grandkids. Just go ahead and make your life easier at the holidays by printing off a few of your best pics and purchasing a variety of frames.

They are the best ways to personalize your décor.

We all want our house to feel like a home. One way to achieve this is to personalize your décor using photos of your family. Now this will vary according to your style tastes. I don’t like a lot of clutter on my walls, but I still think you can very tastefully decorate with personal photos.

Your kids will thank you.

Let’s face it. Someday we will no longer be here, and our kids will want to have something physical to remember us by. Our photo albums and prints will be precious to them, just like we treasure our parent’s scrapbooks.

Here are some fun things to do with your prints:

• Old-fashioned photo album – There is nothing wrong with using an old-fashioned photo album to store your prints. The fact is it is a book you and your kids can look through from time to time – no need to be fancy unless you want to.

• Printed scrapbooks – There are so many companies, such as Shutterfly, that allow you to create customized scrapbooks online using your digital photos. For the moms who are the busiest, there is also Chatbooks, which regularly prints out your Instagram photos and send them to you in a book.

• Make stickers or postcards – In addition to the more traditional ways to print out photos, there are online companies which make it easy to turn your Instagram pics into stickers or postcards. These are perfect for school-aged kids!

• Create a gallery wall – As shown above, I recently used Storyboards to create a gallery wall in the breakfast nook of my home of some of my favorite pics. I am over the moon with how well it turned out! It was super easy and looks awesome.

15 Things Readers Should Know About Me

Hello, I’m Rachel! I am thrilled you are on this mom life journey with me. While I can tell you that I am a Chinese-American mom and lifestyle blogger and I can show you all my fabulous finds, travel mementos, and delicious meals, there is more to me than what the Insta pics show. I am much more than a NYC mom blogger.

I started this blog because I wanted to share my life as a mom who also works full-time in the fashion industry with other women. Sharing my experiences as a NYC working mom is both cathartic and helpful – for you and for me. We can learn from one other. I hope you gain inspiration from each picture and each blog post.

Let’s Go Beyond the Pictures!

Do you remember when you were in school and chain letters (or emails) went around? The sort of thing where one friend listed 25 random things about herself and then asked ten friends to do the same? Well, I kind of miss that type of connection.

With social media, we get to see all the glossy and filtered images of one another’s lives, but as a social media influencer, I’ve come to realize that many of my followers and readers do not know much about me beyond what the pictures show. It’s important for me to show you who I really am. So, today I’m putting myself out here for the whole internet to see.

15 Things That Might Surprise You About Me

1. I spend all day on my feet while I work in fashion. Since I am on my feet all day, I am constantly aware of the shoes I am wearing. This should explain why shoes mean everything to me. I adore shoes – the more stylish, the better. *Bonus points if you realized this is the reason for the name of my blog.

2. No one is ever able to guess my real age. A lady never tells, right? 😉

3. I'm the youngest of 3.  And I have two girls of my own - Madison & Olivia.

4. I have been married for nine years.

5. I'm Bilingual!  I can speak both Cantonese and Mandarin along with English.

6. I am the walking definition of a hangry woman. If I am hungry, you better feed me.

7. I’m petite - as in really petite. I am 5 feet on a good day (with the right pair of heels).

8. My favorite things outside of my family are eating and traveling. I’m a total foodie and a wino. As you know by now, I also love telling my readers where they should eat, drink, and visit.

9. I am super hard working, and sometimes I catch myself being a Tiger mom with my girls. What can I say? I’m a cool mom, but I know hard work pays off.

10. My friends will tell you that I am a loyal friend, and they know they can come to me for advice because I am honest and direct. But, they will also tell you that I am impossible to shop for.

11. I'm a workaholic.

12. I do not like cold weather or winters, but New York is worth it to me.

13. Other things I hate: small crowded spaces, ignorant people, and internet trolls.

14. I have a weird phobia of old wallpaper. It creeps me out!

15. Wondering why you never hear me on my Insta stories? It’s because I cannot stand the sound of my own voice!

 Anything surprise you? Jump in and tell me some things you wish people knew about you.