Staying Happy Online When It Feels Impossible

We all know that there is negativity when it comes to the online world whether we choose to focus on it or not. And this year especially I've noticed a big shift in my thoughts towards it and why it might happen. Acting like that negativity isn't there is something that I've realised isn't ok, it's important for it not to be your sole focus but it's not ok to just brush it under the rug and almost normalise someone being absolutely awful to you. So today I wanted to talk all about staying happy online and making your online world feel like a safe place to be as the internet is a truly wonderful place to be 95% of the time.

LIMIT YOUR ONLINE TIME

I love the online world and because of what my job is I have to spend a certain amount of time in it. But something I'm very conscious of now is how much time I do spend online and when I don't need to be sat scrolling I'm not. I used to spend all my time online and I noticed it really had an effect on my mental health in a negative way and it also really narrowed my perspective on the world too. Constantly consuming other people's thoughts whether they're good or bad can be pretty exhausting.

THERE IS NEVER A REASON TO BE HORRIBLE

Unless it comes to very serious issues I truly don't believe there is ever a reason to be horrible to someone you don't know but sometimes the online world feels like a free for all. And I get people's annoyances when it comes to the blogging world, I truly do but wishing ill will and sometimes death to people over such trivial things isn't ok. It's so easy to think that what is said online doesn't matter and I think so often people forget that they are talking to a real person and their words do have consequences.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO UNFOLLOW/BLOCK

When it comes to unfollowing/blocking/muting I'm pretty relentless with it and I don't feel badly about it and I don't think anybody should. If there is someone or multiple people that are popping up on your timeline that aren't making you happy then get rid of them. And if you don't feel brave enough to unfollow then muting is a great option as you still don't have to see what they're posting. And if someone is really rude or negative just simply block them, no-one needs that and they can talk all they like but that doesn't mean you have to listen to them. We all have the right to protect ourselves and it's so important to do so.

PUT OUT WHAT YOU WANT BACK

Although it might sound like I've got my head in the clouds or naive, I truly do believe that what we put out into this world is what we get back. When you're constantly being negative and putting bad things out into the world then you're never going to get anything nice back in return. And this isn't to say you're not allowed to have a bad mood or be in a funk and talk about it, not at all. But spending your precious time being horrible and judgemental to other people is never good and in the long run, it won't make you feel happy either.

MAKE YOUR COMMUNITY WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE

One of the best things about the internet is that you are completely in control of what you see and what you don't. You can make your little online world exactly what you want it to be and filled with really amazing people. And I don't think doing this makes you ignorant to what other things are going on in the world because I'm sure everyone keeps up with the news as much as possible. But if there is somebody you know what you don't really get along with or don't agree with their opinions there is no point in following them.

DON'T LET CURIOSITY GET THE BEST OF YOU

Something I used to be really terrible for was seeking out things that I knew were negative but now I'm really strict on what I consume. I don't have the time or the energy to dedicate to reading things that probably aren't going to make me feel nice and I always find this when it comes to particular blog posts. And we all get curious about what other people are writing especially if it's something that has made waves in our little online world but if you can see it has a pretty negative tone do we really need to read it?

SHADE/TEA/DRAMA ISN'T NICE

There is always some sort of drama online and it always gets attention naturally. And I completely understand why it does but then I have to remember that people probably wouldn't be so interested if it was about someone that they really cared about or even about themselves. Because it's all too easy to get involved and want to know what the latest gossip is but it's so easy to forget that the person it's about has feelings and what is going on is probably making them feel really awful. So often there is a horrible mob mentality when it comes to the online world and it's so sad to watch and it could have such a bad impact on that person's life.