20 March is the United Nation’s (UN) International Day of Happiness. The theme for this year is social media and its link to happiness.

The UN website introduces the theme as “This year’s theme explores the relationship between social media and happiness, highlighting the potential challenges for our wellbeing as well as ways we can all use tech for good.

There’s no one “right” way to use social media, but small, thoughtful choices about how we use it and how we treat each other online can make a real difference.

When we act collectively, we can build a happier, kinder world, online and offline.”

This is a very timely theme for me – I didn’t actually look up what the theme was until today. Last night I took another step towards getting rid of Facebook from my life. I’ve not used it since August 2025, when I deleted it from my phone. I’ve now removed everyone from the account that I have other means of contacting (such as a phone number or via another social media account). The few remaining people remaining contacts on my Facebook are for people I haven’t managed to connect with elsewhere as yet.

This is a step I’ve been looking to take for a while, and for me is about positively managing my use of social media. There seems to be a massive number of debates around the positives and negatives of using social media. The UN website does say “There’s no one “right” way to use social media, but small, thoughtful choices about how we use it and how we treat each other online can make a real difference.” I fully agree with this statement. Putting active thought into what and how we use social media can make a real benefit to both our mental health and our digital lives.

In August last year, I decided my time using Facebook was not a positive thing. All I was seeing was toxic suggested posts on horrible topics I had no desire to see. I took an active decision to step away from it and have no regrets about doing so.

 I am not here to preach about your use of social media, particular any specific platform. I actively use Instagram, and I find positive accounts to engage with that match my interests of fitness, mental health, and video games. Oh, and lots of cat related posts. I advocate for spending some time curating what we engage with on social media and adjusting settings accordingly to help reflect that. I have found by curating the list of accounts I engage with regularly, I’ve found a good balance in my experience on social media.

Though Instagram, I found my personal trainer who has helped me lose over 30kg of fat. I doubt I would have found the motivation to reach out to him if it hadn’t been for the positive posts he placed on his social media account. My personal trainer has helped me come so far in my life, to smash my goals and help me see the path to being where I want to be in life. I also work with a coach, who guides me on natural movements – stretching, mobility and movement training. This helps me to engage my body and keep healthy as I get older. Its also great fun to find new things to try. I never thought I’d enjoy learning to do pistol squats. My coach even teaches me breathing exercises and meditation. All of these positives from the last eighteen months would not have happened without social media.

The important thing is to find a way to make it work positively for you. If you don’t like posts from an account, you don’t have to follow them. I’ve actively removed people I know in real life from social media, as I don’t wish to see their content. You also don’t have to explain yourself for doing so. It is your digital life. Our digital wellbeing is an important aspect of life in modern ages.

I’ll be writing more on digital wellbeing. A major aspect for me has been cutting off news apps. To me, it’s full of toxic negativity that I don’t need in life.

Will you take five minutes out today to review your social media?