“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"
I…Need this. PTSD nightmare woke me up last night and I’m not looking forward to sleep again. What a beautiful way to help a loved one.
That’s terrible! My best friend struggles with PTSD. I hope you find this helpful! https://www.military.com/military-life/smartwatch-app-ptsd-related-nightmares-now-available-prescription-va-dod.html
Load More Replies...Dave posted a link ☝️to an article about it: https://www.military.com/military-life/smartwatch-app-ptsd-related-nightmares-now-available-prescription-va-dod.html
Load More Replies...I had PTSD related nightmares for years and years, decades, so much and so horrific, I saw lots of dead and mutilated bodies that I had weight issues due to lack of sleep despite being immensely active (form of self-harm) and restricting calories. Ever since I started therapy, I've lost 18lbs with, wait for it, less exercise and more sleep. Edit: all within 1 year. Don't be afraid to get help. For the longest time, I thought it was all my fault, that I wasn't a good human, a good daughter and I deserved everything. You didn't
I'm so glad that you are doing better. Sometimes it's hard to take the first step for health. I hope the next year is even better! :)
Load More Replies...Alot of us have PTSDs from childhood nemories of those armies breaking your door in the middle of the night.
Hopefully this is government funded for vets (since the VA isn't a government leg) or is affordable enough for vets to obtain them
Yeah, I was wondering since it said that it was a prescription.
Load More Replies...I wish they didn't have to get PTSD in the first place, to go to another country to wage a war for money lord and kill innocent people in the process. I have PTSD from another country bombing my village every month when I was a child.
I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your village. I hope that there are better times ahead.
Load More Replies...For the first time in my life I feel like my nightmares aren’t as bad as real life. I used to feel such releif waking up and realizing it was all a bad dream, but now I wake up at 3 or 4 and just think ”oh no”. Then can’t get back to sleep when I start to think of it all. Never felt more anxious and depressed than now, nothing can bring me comfort except the smile on my sons faces. But then I feel bad for even bringing children to this world. I put on an act for my children because I never ever want to scare them, I want to make them believe that everything is and will always be okay. This is a little self soothing also. My children are what makes me be able to function and my only reason to even be here and keep fighting, but I would never ever tell them.
Offering virtual hugs… May your suffering be eased Sofie, may you find peace in this uncertain world.
Load More Replies...I need to know what this app is and if it's available commercially yet.
Now someone invent a time machine so he can help WW veterans, Koran war, Vietnamese war, Iraq, Ukraine... Why don't we just stop having wars. I haven't mentioned them all, these are just a few from my lifetime.
Amazing!! It sounds like it could be seriously life changing for many people living with PTSD and their loved ones. I wonder if it will potentially help other conditions as well, like panic attacks, night terrors not related to PTSD, narcoleptic nightmares/sleep paralysis dreams and other similar conditions. Simply wonderful and truly created out of love.
Does this only work for PTSD-nightmares? I'd love to skip some of my more horrible nightmares, too...
"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.
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...