My last article was a review of 2019, and it was kind of a downer. At least, that’s how I remembered it. To find some of the year’s major events, I did a lot of research. It was page after page of intense information, and I felt like my article was tainted by the weight of everything I saw. Looking back, the article actually isn’t that negative. I would even say that it has a generally positive tone, but the reason that I thought it was so negative was because of all the heartbreaking stories I found while writing it. Having access to so much information is amazing, but it’s frustrating when most of it is sad. I honestly had a lot of trouble coming up with an idea for this article, but I thought that this time, I would focus on the positive.
One great source for news is The Happy Broadcast. Created by Mauro Gatti, it features positive news stories from across the world, as well as cute illustrations for each one. The Happy Broadcast website features links to other sources that report these stories. Though this should not become your sole source of news, it is an easy way to find out about good things that are happening. They have a website, an Instagram account, and a Facebook page.
Researching your interests is an awesome way to bring some joy into your daily routine. I think moths are really fascinating. Most people probably see moths as those annoying bugs that eat clothes, but they’re actually really cool (and there is more than just one type of moth). Did you know that there is a National Moth Week that takes place in July? I found that out when I was looking up random moth facts last summer. I also found out that the wings of the Madagascan Sunset Moth, which are red, orange, blue and green, were used to decorate jewelry in the 1800s. I know that most people don’t feel the same way about moths, but for me, learning about this was fun. Others might look for fun facts about their favorite sport, flower, or genre of music. This information may not be relevant to your schoolwork or career, but if it makes you happy, taking the time to learn more is worth it.
In addition to researching fun facts, looking at pictures is also a quick way to make yourself smile. For some, this might be looking at pictures of kittens, puppies, and other animals. Others may have to go no further than their camera roll to see pictures of their friends, family, or that one really beautiful sunset from last week. Watching videos that make you laugh is another awesome use of time. Have you ever seen a cat on a Roomba? I highly recommend those videos. Even though these would be considered by some to be a waste of time, as long as you manage your time well, there’s no harm in taking a few minutes to look at something you enjoy.
This article is all over the place, and kind of cliché, but these methods for bringing more positivity into life work for me. They might not work for everyone, but here’s the thing: I want the main takeaway from this article to be that you should surround yourself with and do things that make you happy. That is going to look different for every one of us, and that’s okay. Writing this article made me smile. While it might not be my best or most original writing, it made me happy, and that’s really the point, isn’t it?