Where were you when Facebook started more than 10 years ago? Not where were you physically at that exact moment, but what were you doing, who were you hanging out with, where were you working? More than likely you were in a completely different stage in your life than you are right now.
Initially, Facebook was this fun platform to friend every person we'd ever known from childhood or high school and either A. Check up on them to see if they were further along in life than we were or B. Keep up with their day-to-day life activities. But just like Facebook, you have probably evolved since then.
You aren't the same person you were when you started your Facebook account and mass friended every person from your graduating class. And news flash, your best friend from 10th grade pre-calculus might have grown up to be someone different than you remembered (i.e., someone you don't care to know).
So, with this new reality of social connectedness, and Facebook showing no signs of slowing down, it's important to implement a few things to keep your mind, your heart, and your life healthy and functioning optimally. This means your Facebook friend list is probably due for a much-needed inventory and cleanse. Here are few character types you should quickly purge from your friend list.
The Drama Queen -- This is the person who is constantly airing their dirty laundry (and their exes' dirty laundry for that matter) for the entire Internet to see. There is nothing wrong with sometimes using Facebook to express an opinion you think would benefit others to read (or you think your friends would get a laugh out of). That isn't this person. This person posts an over-the-top drama rant with TMI at least once a week. For your mental health and safety, you should probably just hit the unfriend button.
The Political Shock Jock -- This person is only out for the shock value with their posts. Every single post seems to be slanted in favor of their political views (which often times are extreme) in the hopes of either getting likes from fellow extremists, or comments from someone looking for a fight. Their feed can look like someone who is building an off-the-grid compound in Iowa or is hoping to single-handedly ensure Donald Trump's rise to the oval office and demolish anyone who disagrees. Either way, they aren't using Facebook to interact and socialize. They're lurking in the shadows for a fight. And you don't need a crazed friend like that to ruin your day or raise your blood pressure. Unfriend.
The Evangelist -- Whether it's religion their pushing, or the latest essential oil/candle/CrossFit/advocare craze, these friends post any and all articles, pictures, info, and opinion pieces they can find about their current product, and they don't take the time to try and cultivate diverse relationships with anyone or anything outside the bubble of these interests. I'm not talking about people who post church pics on Sunday, or the people who happen to have found success with their workout routine and want to brag about their results. I'm talking about the ones who are hell bent on converting everyone in their Facebook feed to their new found "way of life." No matter what. Just do yourself a favor and unfriend.
The Frenemy (or Shadow Antagonist) -- Whatever you call it, this person only shows up in your comments or likes when they have an opinion or thought in opposition to yours. Often times they are "friends" you don't even remember friending, or haven't spoken to in years. And they don't care to keep up with your life. More than likely they don't even know where you live now or what you're doing. The only time they are interested in your posts is when they can say something mean, critical, or confrontational. Sometimes they don't even have the guts to do that, they just like another critical comment out of "support." You don't want someone stalking you in the shadows, waiting for their turn to pounce on you. Unfriend them.
The Dark Cloud -- You can recognize this friend by the sheer amount of negative vibes coming off of their posts. They always look at the world with a cup-half-empty type of mentality. Their posts are dramatic, as well, but in a different way. They want to list out every single ailment from their newest illness, or how a friend or family member isn't doing well either, or talk about every single bad thing that happened to them that day in a chain of bad things they happened to them that month or that year. Think "my no good, very bad, day" type stuff. You have enough negativity to overcome in your own life without having to see everything Dark Cloud has been struggling with in the past 15 years every time you log-on to Facebook. Unfriend.
The Stranger -- You have no idea who this person is, you don't remember meeting them, and nothing about them rings a bell. Why are you still looking at their baby's 5th birthday pictures then?! Unfriend.
These are certainly not all of the types you should consider purging during your Facebook Friend cleanse. And not everyone fits into just one category. It's up to you whether you want to unfriend or just hide these people from your feed. Personally, I believe everyone should expect to be unfriended every now and then by someone you don't interact with often. Just because you met someone once in an airport bathroom doesn't mean you should be friends with them seven years later. And just because you are related to someone by blood doesn't mean you have to be friends with them on Facebook either.
This practice is about self-care, and making sure that you enjoy your time on social media, and the less junk you have to filter through the better. Now, start unfriending. See, doesn't that feel good?