Over the past days, the media has produced possibly one of the most intense news cycles since the end of the Cold War. And for good reason. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign European country, is an unprecedented act of war in the 21st century.
But if you feel like you need a distraction from the grim headlines and you're the type of person who can find comfort in the positive side of the internet, you're not alone. The Instagram account kALE SALAD is here for you.
The guy behind the account calls himself the "king of wholesome memes" and I know what you might be thinking: people who crown themselves are rarely worthy of the title. But 3.8 million people think this one is.
Browsing kALE SALAD's feed, it's hard to disagree with them. Continue scrolling and take a look for yourself.
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While we may feel guilty for being joyful while others are grieving, happiness is actually very important in challenging times. Focusing on our own emotions can give us the resilience we need to change situations both in our personal lives and on a larger scale.
Dr. Laurie Santos, who is an expert on the science and psychology of wellbeing, and shares her findings with thousands through her wildly popular Yale University course, The Science of Wellbeing, said that while it may sound counterintuitive, happiness is exactly what we need to get us through uncertainty, fear and anxiety over the future.
Below you will find Dr. Santos's top insights from the field of positive psychology on happiness and how it can help us to overcome difficult situations like the ones we are facing today.
"We can harness the toughness to experience the power of post-traumatic growth," Dr. Santos said.
Difficult situations have the potential to make us stronger and even happier in the long run. By surviving a particularly tough scenario, we learn to appreciate what is truly meaningful and important in life and how to better prepare ourselves to face future adversity.
Damn! That's one hell of a birth story to pass on to future generations!!
I was born to Bob Marley music, that’s cool I guess
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This reminds me of my Mom : she was so over pregnancy with me that she asked her doc what she could do to induce labor naturally. He told her to clean house, so she did. Right as she grabbed the dry Christmas tree to throw it away, her water broke. The thing is, and it just dawned on me a few weeks ago, I'm born September 9th... SHE LIVED HER WHOLE PREGNANCY WITH A F*****G DRY CHRISTMAS TREE !! I don't know how she didn't kill my Dad for doing this to her, lol...
how is this wholesome ? i mean, it sure is epic in some way, but....yea....
Seriously. Denying the other parent the opportunity to be there for their child's birth... so wholesome!
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I drove myself to the hospital when I went into labor early. But that's only because my ex husband was a lazy a**face. They managed to stop my labor and then I drove home.
I was born in September 1973. My mom’s water broke, she mowed the lawn because she knew my dad wouldn’t do it and then drove herself to the hospital (with a pit stop at Hardee’s to get some food because she knew that hospital food sucks). During her pregnancy she and a few of her pregnant friends went to see ‘Behind the Green Door’ to see what was the big deal (no pun intended) about XXX flicks and were thrown out for laughing too much. She was annoyed that she went into labor on a Monday because she was going to miss the Packers play the Jets (the Packers won). I was ten pounds when I popped out - NATURAL BIRTH - she always said that she wanted at least six kids, but my giant head made her decide that two kids was enough.
I wonder if your father has ever lived it down... and I don't think your mom is petty. This sounds like a legit beef to me.
I drove myself to the hospital while in labor. The lights seemed to turn red for my contractions, or i pulled over. It was 1am so it was all good.
This is just petty and sad that she would do that to another person period. Simply because your father wouldn’t give her enough attention. I hope your parents are divorced because it sounds like a manipulative unhealthy relationship.
F**k yes I did this too! Birthed twins SOLO (and now raising some perfectly petty little badasses solo) 💪
I was born in the 70s during the last oil and gas shortage. My dad's day to get gas (based on license plate number) was Friday, the same day I was born. He stopped for gas on the way to taking my mother to the hospital to have me.
My grandmother walked 3 miles to the hospital in labor because my grandfather was fighting in the war.
My grandmother gave birth to my father in 1944, during the world war 2. Her husband was away as he was a soldier, so she was alone at home. When the time came, she took her bag and rode her bicycle all 3 km to the hospital. My grandmother is the strongest woman I know.
This sounds like some s**t I would do. Except thankfully the day I went into labor my hubby was being extra sweet.
Don't forget that not all men are jerks you silly internet peeps. :D in this persons case we don't know, but that still doesn't give you reasons to blast a gender based off of who YOU were wronged by. Please, don't be selfish and entitled as any gender! We call it equality for a reason. Also I'm female, I believe in equality, and this isn't equality..just a bunch of pricks hiding behind screens because they know no one can hurt them for saying things only bullies would say. ^^
I did basically the same thing...only it was because the sperm donor didn't want to drive me cause he can't stand hospitals
Strong women are the core of humanity's survival! You can bank on that!!
Same for my first child. And I had to stop and gas up the car, too!
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Just goes to show what a petty and selfish ass your mother is. She put your life, her own, and the lives of every person on the road in danger when she drove to hospital. What a d**k!
When you miss doing something, you are branded lazy. When you do something, you are told you shouldn't have done that, I was looking for something, Now I'll have to start all over again. When you gently remind him about something he promised to do weeks ago, You get lectured for Nagging. When you go out of your way for doing that something that you asked him to do weeks ago and he didn't. You are the worst in the world and He was about to do it himself. But he had been too busy. When you have to get a qualified tradesman in to do a job that he has been promising for 2 years and still not done. You get yelled at, called a Nag, Lectured about what you can and can't do (in your own home) and told you are just trying to put him down. Then he doesn't speak to you for 2 days. Hence why we are still (not)doing partially completed renovations for the last 11 years
My dad didn't want to see me when I was born because he wanted a boy but his boss changed his mind when he said that girls were the best.
My youngest was born with a midwife in attendance with Alice Coltrane playing Journey in Satchidinanda on harp.
Not petty if you had a Vajay..lol..we get it..F him.lol.
my ex drove herself to the hospital so she could be in control.
You apparently never had a baby the nature of birth is loneliness. The presence of the man who made you that way is only consolation. All those professionals there are just noise unless there's greater health concerns going on with the birth.
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Not enough attention lol tour dad is not your dad, mommy slept around ALOT
If you believe in gender equality and you think "men are incapable" is wholesome, then you also think "women are incapable" is wholesome.
But in this case, men truly are physically incapable....
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Heck if you live in close proximity this is a wonderful and considerate thing to do.
Lol I made of one these 4 years back and still have it. It's ugly af on the inside WhatsApp-I...a-jpeg.jpg 
"If we want to be happier during times of stress, we need to use a special mechanism of protecting ourselves, and we can do that through social connection."
When used properly, technology has the power to keep people connected even when they are physically apart from each other. Loneliness and isolation can have a major negative impact on both our mental and physical health, so Dr. Santos suggests embracing those Zoom happy hours and exploring new ways to maintain relationships with family, friends, and coworkers.
However, Dr. Santos said studies on happiness also suggest that a big part of it comes from focusing on other people.
Even though we hear a lot about self-care these days and this text is kinda advocating it too, the reality is that truly happy people are what Dr. Santos refers to as "other-oriented."
Meaning, helping others, especially during times of crisis, makes us feel good and gives us a sense of purpose. Not only are we boosting our own mood by lending a hand, but we are also working towards solving real problems.
"If we want to be happier and if we want to protect our willpower and get more resilient and even improve our performance, we need to harness the power of gratitude," Dr. Santos added.
Gratitude might not be the first thing that comes to mind during a life-altering experience such as a global pandemic or war, but acknowledging even the little things that we appreciate in our everyday life can improve our overall wellbeing and boost our emotional resilience.
F’real want a pair. Is that a “pair”? Whatever you call it, I want it.
Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools, especially when we're living under stress. "If we want to be happy, we need to find ways to be in the present moment, even if that present moment sucks."
We spend around 47% of our day with our minds wandering. By learning to truly focus on the present, we can be more productive and improve our sense of wellbeing by improving our stress response.
This is not funny when it's happening to you. But right now, it is. It so is!
"If we want to protect ourselves during tough times, we need to make room for healthy practices.”
When stress levels are high, it's really easy to skip a workout or two, make less nutritious choices at mealtimes or deprioritize our sleep. It can feel overwhelming to have to put this extra effort into "being healthy," but the reality is that these are the times when we need it the most.
Beyond our physical wellbeing, exercise is a great way to relieve stress and improve our mental state, a balanced diet can have mood-boosting benefits, and getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night can keep us happier, more focused, and improve our immunity. By maintaining these healthy habits, even when we just don't feel like it, we become stronger in dealing with the current stressors and will be better equipped to handle difficult circumstances in the future.
I love both of these looks! I would 100% have rainbow hair, goth-vibe clothes, a mat that says 'go away' on it, and a rainbow fence.
Wow ! Reminds me of the tent used by the Weasleys during the Quidditch World Cup. "I love magic."
This is such a cute idea. I just came across some of my dad's shirts. I didn't want to get rid of them, but I didn't really know what to do with them. Might just have to give this a try.
And das why I love god. (Please tell me you all got the joke...sorry I'll just see myself out.)
Haha!! This is SUPER smart!!! (is it bad I kinda want to try this!!)
Note: this post originally had 130 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
completely agree! So over the lazy BP editors just reposting reddit gripes.
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I know kale irl. I was shocked to see his page went from a normal insta to memes and having a whole following. It's insane that now I'm seeing it here lol.
Umm and I think you're like one of the only people here that even knows who you're talking about
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I don't think the title is right. Most of these are not memes and plenty aren't wholesome either.
Love this. Laughed out loud so much. It's phenomenally better than the BP posts which claim to be funny but are just stressful posts shaming people's behavior, or just downright creepy or complaining and griping. We come to Bored Panda because we need uplifting, not because we need to read about crap.
completely agree! So over the lazy BP editors just reposting reddit gripes.
Load More Replies... I know kale irl. I was shocked to see his page went from a normal insta to memes and having a whole following. It's insane that now I'm seeing it here lol.
Umm and I think you're like one of the only people here that even knows who you're talking about
Load More Replies... I don't think the title is right. Most of these are not memes and plenty aren't wholesome either.
Love this. Laughed out loud so much. It's phenomenally better than the BP posts which claim to be funny but are just stressful posts shaming people's behavior, or just downright creepy or complaining and griping. We come to Bored Panda because we need uplifting, not because we need to read about crap.
