We all have those off days, where nothing seems to be going right and it feels as if life simply couldn’t get any worse. So you open Instagram and start mindlessly scrolling through your feed, adoring the perfect bodies that all the celebrities you follow are naturally blessed with. You scroll past billionaire’s Lamborghinis and rapper’s Rolexes. For a second, you feel part of their seemingly perfect lifestyle.
Then you close the app and realize you’re still in the empty abyss that is real life. That’s the way the internet tends to make us feel sometimes: worse. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be this way. There are tons of great places and communities on the web that exist solely to cheer you up and help you maintain your smile even after your log off.
Rule Out the Bad Stuff
Social media apps only seem to get worse as they grow larger. Twitter is filled with controversial opinions, Facebook is a hub for malicious advertising and spam, Instagram is jealousy-fuel and Tumblr… well, let’s not go there. The simple solution would be to simply delete your accounts and move on, but of course that’s much easier said than done.
Start slow and unfollow people you don’t want to hear from. Eventually you’ll lose all interest in that social media site and never look back. In the same light, avoid spammy news sites that only seem to report on depressing or infuriating topics. There are better ways to know what’s going on around the world anyway.
Add in the Good Stuff
As mentioned above, there are a variety of communities online who enjoy sharing their happiness with others, causing a domino effect. Reddit’s “Made Me Smile” and “Happy” sections are great examples. Reddit is actually home to a ton of similar sections, contrary to the initial image the forum portrays with its seemingly large quantity of depressed users. Everything from derpy dogs and baby kittens to hilariously bad dad jokes, you name it – Reddit has a thousand pictures of it.
Rage comics are ironically great as well. While the initial idea is to create one when you’re angry, they’re more likely to put a smile on your face if you’re reading one. Though most people will tell you that making one is a great way to get rid of your anger as well, so head over to RageMaker.net and try it out.
Don’t Overdose
Just like any endorphin-releasing mental stimulation, too much is never a good thing as it simply leaves you wanting more. A great analogy for this is how a drug addict loses their love for the normal things that make normal people happy, such as television and gaming. It simply becomes insufficient when overused, so moderate your internet usage.
Next time you’re on the way home from a bad day, just remember that your computer is sitting at home, waiting for you to logon and give you that much needed dose of happiness. Also keep in mind that life itself will always have ups and downs, you just have to know how to face them.
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