This article originally appeared on the blog of Heretic, the magazine of We Are Libertarians.
There are lots of ways for us to help our friends, neighbors, and communities during the difficult challenges that for many have already begun and will likely persist for the next several weeks, or even months. In our Getting Through COVID-19, Together series, we will look at specific ways to do just that.
(If you would like to contribute to this series, please let us know at hereticjournal@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook.)
Share Your Happy Moments
We all need some good news right now. Every single one of us. Even for the most privileged among us – those who still have jobs, have remained healthy, have plenty of food, etc. – these are stressful times. The constant barrage of updates on the COVID-19 pandemic has absolutely swelled and overwhelmed every other story in the world. Even the presidential election has been lowered to a distant second-place in the media.
Coronavirus is everywhere and it often seems like it’s everything.
Our newsfeeds and dashboards are filled with almost entirely bad news, and that’s exactly why it’s important to post your happy moments. People need to see that there are still happy things happening all over the place everyday, that there are reprieves from the stress and anxiety. In times like these, it’s important for you to find ways to enjoy yourself and relax, and it’s also important that you share these moments.
For example, I started working on my summer garden yesterday. I had a great time preparing the soil, starting the seeds, and planning my planting. It was a beautiful afternoon that made me feel better, so I thought it might make someone else feel better as well.
So please, by all means:
Post that picture of your puppy
Show off the pancakes you made
Celebrate your spring cleaning
Share the funny meme you just saw
Talk about the book you just finished
Retweet that heartwarming video
Post to your friends about missing them and happy memories
Talk about what you’re grateful for
An interesting consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been that many critics of social media have had to reevaluate their view of it. Critics who have (reasonably) argued that Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram make us more distant from each other, strangely more disconnected and jealous and hateful, now have little choice but to concede that these platforms are giving their users an incredibly important way of staying socially and emotionally healthy while maintaining a practice of social distancing.
But that case will quickly fall apart if social media becomes completely overwhelmed by depressing news of the economy and plague.
Please, share your happy moments.
