“Very Important Positivity”: If You Are Feeling Down, These 50 Wholesome Posts Might Make Your Day
InterviewAutumn is nearly out in full force already, and many of you Pandas might be feeling a bit blue. Meanwhile, some of you might be under the weather, others might be worried about the rising cost of, well, everything, the war, and the ongoing pandemic. That’s on top of all the stress you might be facing at work, school, and home. However, life isn’t all completely dreary—there’s a lot of beauty and kindness out there, too. You just have to look closer.
So, in order to give you a well-deserved break from all the problems of the world and to bring a bunch of hope back into your lives, today we’re featuring the best of the best from the ‘Very Important Positivity’ Facebook page. It’s a celebration of everything good about the world, from altruistic people to happy pets, and everything in between.
Now, pick your favorite metaphor, and let’s go find that silver lining and/or remember to turn on the light, shall we? It’s almost impossible not to smile. Upvote your fave pics, and pop down by the comment section to tell us about the best thing that happened to you this week. Oh, and if you know someone who could use a good pick-me-up, be sure to pass this post along to them. There’s practically nothing better than spreading happiness.
Bored Panda reached out to the founder of 'Very Important Positivity,' Elle McGann, who kindly answered our questions about her project. "Initially, it [the page] was created to inspire by sharing people's achievements, allow people to share in the joy of the happy moments in life, and to be an alternative to the negative news and attitudes that can seem all-pervasive in modern life," she told us. Scroll down for our full interview about happiness and optimism, Pandas. And if you enjoyed the posts, make sure to follow the VIP socials.
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Also, not every divorce is due to people hating each other or something. Sometimes a divorce can save a relationship, heck, good friends of mine divorced only 2 years ago and they are best friends, better of than during their marriage.
"I definitely share a broader range of things than I did initially - I realized a momentary break from the world to enjoy a meme, a tweet, or something random that sparks joy really helps nourish the soul," Elle, the founder of the page, told Bored Panda. She revealed to us that she started 'Very Important Positivity' years ago to "stay connected to my audience after leaving my previous page," which was called 'Wholesome Memes.'
Bored Panda was curious to get the VIP page founder's opinion about the reason for the content's success. "I think content that feels good resonates with the joy that exists within us. When we create and share our experiences, it makes them bigger than ourselves—there is no better feeling than making someone laugh, feel lighter, or remain hopeful," Elle said.
"After coming home from Iraq, Tyler's dad had nightmares so bad he feared closing his eyes. Tyler designed a smartwatch app to detect their onset and disrupt them with a gentle vibration. It just won FDA approval to treat PTSD-related nightmare disorders. Wholesome Moments"
"People enjoy content that allows them to forget about negativity, current events, and politics, and enjoy things that make them feel calmer and happier."
According to the creator of 'Very Important Positivity,' the secret to happiness and optimism during tough times is to stop looking for something hidden.
First picture "What are you doing? Get it away from me!" Second picture "I swear, if you so much as lay a finger on my little marshmallow, I'm going to ruin your favorite shoes!"
"I find when I look within and face my pain, stress, or sadness, I’m able to create something that helps myself as well as others, it makes my life worth living. Tough times open the door to peace when you radically accept yourself. You already have what you need inside—joy, optimism, love are an accessible part of you, and when you let them take over, you’re unstoppable. Simply be!"
Over 600k people follow the ‘Very Important Positivity’ Facebook page for a source of laughter, wide smiles, and truly heartwarming content. Life’s never easy, but some periods of time are tougher than others.
Everyone starts somewhere. it doesn't matter where. It only matters that you start. Where you end up doesn't matter. It only matters that you take your own journey.
Yes! I LOATHE exercise/"working out". I don't hate BEING physical/walking/etc but I absolutely loathe the concept of being "forced" to work out/exercise "for my heath". My ex and I ultimately broke up after 20 yrs because (amongst other issues) he was very much into fitness/lifting/working out in a formal, precise manner and would not accept that I didn't want to exercise according to a literal list/plan with zero allowed deviations. I told him I wanted to lose weight and get healthier - but I just could NOT get into his strict schedule/plan he created for me. It's taken a while to recover mentally from the associated emotional damage, but I'm thinking of taking up swimming :) I don't like being fat, but I HATE "okay you will do these 5 different lifting exercises 4 days a week and do 30 min of high-intensity interval stationary biking the other 3 days and no you can't have something on TV/your phone/read while you are exercising". XD
Load More Replies...When I see an obese person in a gym or running or even harder, doing a directed class (boxing or tabata or whatever),I so much admire them. It is one of the hardest things to do.
At one house we lived in, there was a neighbor lady who got a dog. She was plus size, so started walking the dog. She lost a little weight. She then got a bike. I saw her struggle pedaling, stop and walk, then get back on and struggle again, all the while with the dog patiently walking next to her, though I bet he really wanted to go for a run. Just about every evening before it got dark, I’d see them. She started losing more weight, and being able to stay on the bike longer, though pedaling slowly. But she kept at it, and kept losing weight, and kept getting stronger. A year later, she was healthy slender and pedaling at a great pace, with her dog happily running alongside her on her bike. Stick with it. Don’t lose hope. It. CAN. Be. Done. It’s just not going to happen overnight with no effort and sweat.
Cry if you need to. On number 1, number 10, or number 100. Nothing wrong with crying, male or female, child or adult, etc. it’s very healthy. Let those onion ninjas do their job! 🥷 🧅 💧
Load More Replies...It's so important to help each other in any way we can. It takes a village
We had a neighbor like that in San Diego. He would power walk through the condo complex, just sweating up a storm. I knew he went by every day around 4:00, so I'd be sure to be watering plants or sweeping the walk or something out front. Every time he passed by I'd say something encouraging. After about a year he'd lost 60 pounds. He stopped by with flowers one afternoon and thanked me for always being so uplifting. He still has another 60 pounds to go, but he's feeling so much better - physically & mentally. It takes so little to build each other up. Keep up the good work, Earl!
A severely obese man should not be jogging! Very bad for tendons, ligaments. Even if you're not obese, if you havent' been exercising you don't want to start out with something high impact. Start out with walking, then move up to jogging when you don't have much extra weight.
I was looking forward to reading that he joined him and they became pals.
Sometimes we need you to share your strength and sunshine, you make a difference.
Are you the person that laughs at obese people out running, or the human that cheers them on in your head, "Good on you for getting out there! Go! Go! Go!"? Be the better human.
And better to do it in your head apparently. I've read other posts where heavy people are sick of other skinny people telling them positive affirmations and "keep going!" when they're working out. I don't know what to do anymore.
Load More Replies...How sweet! I know what this is like since I'm autistic, and people are kind enough to treat me like a regular human being.
The past few years, in particular, have been very difficult for a lot of people. Naturally, many folks might be feeling exhausted not just physically but also emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually. And while some soul-healing memes aren’t the solution to all of life’s problems, they might just restore a bit of your faith in humanity and make you feel better about the state of the world for a few minutes. Heck, they might even inspire you to be kinder than usual today.
Here at Bored Panda, we genuinely think that laughter and (realistic) optimism can help people get through the darkest of times. It’s about finding a balance where you’re hoping for the best and taking actionable steps to make things better, while avoiding toxic positivity and total pessimism.
It’s fine to be realistic about what we can and cannot change. Healthy, even. But it’d be wrong to equate that to feelings of powerlessness. Small acts of kindness reach farther than we might expect them to. Kindness begets more kindness. And small collective actions towards a brighter future add up very quickly.
When we give others a helping hand, we’re also taking care of our happiness at the same time. The friendly team at ‘Action for Happiness’ explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that there are 10 keys to happier living: “Giving, relating, exercising, awareness, trying out, direction, resilience, emotions, acceptance, and meaning. We are likely to be happier if our lives have direction, meaning, and purpose and if we are part of something bigger than ourselves.”
If you’d like to invite more kindness into your life and don’t know where to start, you can always the people closest to you. Perhaps you might be able to help your neighbor with something. Or volunteer in your local area. Start off small, focus on the things you’re grateful for, and look for opportunities to lend someone a helping hand.
“When we do things for others it activates the reward center in the brain, so when we give a gift it feels the same as receiving a gift," the team at ‘Action for Happiness’ told us earlier, adding that kindness is the “social glue that keeps us together” as a society. Humans are a very social species after all.
Some ideas for being altruistic range from giving money to charity and donating to a food bank to volunteering for a cause or leaving a food package or a cheery note for an elderly neighbor. It all depends on the time and other resources you have available.
"Father overhears his son telling his boyfriend he plans to come out, so he left him this note..."
“All of these actions help others and boost your own happiness and if we are happier, research shows we are even more likely to help others,” the AfH team said.
It’s perfectly fine to ‘fake it till you make it’ if kindness doesn’t come naturally to you or if you constantly think about the rewards of helping others. It’s a skill that you can learn.
Same with my aunt. Died last year at the age of 80 but she's forever on Google checking the mail while taking a break from mowing.
Six people were a match and here is an update. "Oscar had been receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since 2018, initially at Birmingham Children's Hospital, before the family made the decision to go to Singapore for the CAR-T therapy, which was not available to him on the NHS. The treatment is specifically developed for individual patients and involves reprogramming their immune system cells, which are then used to target their cancer." (they received £500,000 through crowdfunding in order to do this and have since returned home - he has additional treatments going forward. June 2021)
“Maybe at first, you start out doing things to help others only to get attention and praise, but you will find that doing things for others helps you feel good and when you see people’s responses. Once you see the difference you can make in the world and to your own happiness and altruism can grow naturally.”
"I noticed a guy on Fb that was better than me at mounting TVs so instead of hating on him, I reached out and offered to pay him to teach me how to perfect my craft. He didn't accept the money, instead we formed a partnership and the rest is history. Brothers don't hate, we elevate each other."
This one always bugs me on the rare occasions I go clothes shopping. The exercise stuff, or leggings or sports bras…never go up to plus sizes. Gimme something I can wear to my physio appointments!
A clear red flag back when I was dating (been married nearly 20 years) was anyone who mocked my hobbies and collections or said anything about how I should get rid of them or ‘grow up’. My husband has his collections, I have mine, and we make space for each other’s even if we don’t understand them.
"My sister had her first son today, I caught a rare moment between two fathers"
"My uncle and grandma on their way to a pride parade in the '80s"
Oh this, this really got to me. What a beautiful picture of love and support. Don’t judge others if we’re LGBTQ, just accept we’re as much people as you are.
Note: this post originally had 125 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I don't care of some of these are reposts. It's just so good to read heartwarming things because I get so sad at some of the depressing things we see every day.
With all the idiotic nonsense and c**p that goes on... sometimes I wonder if these posts should be less closely "culled" or curated ... (noting the "This post used to be 125 images" note at the bottom). It's nice to have a feelgood post to "deal" with the built up negativity other things incur.
Here's my positive moment: During the serious part of the pandemic, I was out shopping when some stranger approached me smiling. I could tell he was smiling because he wasn't wearing a mask. He says with a grin: "You're a gullible idiot for wearing a mask! They cause cancer, and I bet you got vaccinated too! You know those are a plot to wwwheeeeeeg!!!". That last bit was the sound he made when my foot got introduced to mr. crotch. Seemed pretty positive to me.
You violently attacked a stranger for having a different opinion to you. And you think this belongs in a 'wholesome posts' article.
Load More Replies...I don't care of some of these are reposts. It's just so good to read heartwarming things because I get so sad at some of the depressing things we see every day.
With all the idiotic nonsense and c**p that goes on... sometimes I wonder if these posts should be less closely "culled" or curated ... (noting the "This post used to be 125 images" note at the bottom). It's nice to have a feelgood post to "deal" with the built up negativity other things incur.
Here's my positive moment: During the serious part of the pandemic, I was out shopping when some stranger approached me smiling. I could tell he was smiling because he wasn't wearing a mask. He says with a grin: "You're a gullible idiot for wearing a mask! They cause cancer, and I bet you got vaccinated too! You know those are a plot to wwwheeeeeeg!!!". That last bit was the sound he made when my foot got introduced to mr. crotch. Seemed pretty positive to me.
You violently attacked a stranger for having a different opinion to you. And you think this belongs in a 'wholesome posts' article.
Load More Replies...