Social Media Advice: Smile!

I avoid social media as much as possible.

Although I wish I could delete all of them, I keep my social media accounts in order to follow news from my favorite organizations and to keep up with my employment network.

I try to only glance at social media once daily.  Yet, despite my best attempts, there are times when I get sucked into a Facebook-, Twitter- or Instagram-rabbit hole, and the next thing I know half an hour has disappeared.  Almost every time this happens the deluge of negative news and the urge to keep up with the Jones leaves me feeling downright bad.  On top of this, I often feel helpless because there usually is nothing significant I can do to remedy the situations about which I'm reading or the negative way I feel.   

Last week I spotted a post that elicited a different reaction.  The post read, "Smile at everyone you see/you will be surprised by how many people will be needing that today..."  Those 18 words have stuck with me since I first read them days ago.  Although it's sad to contemplate the number of people who would benefit from someone smiling at them, the solution offered eliminates feelings of helplessness because they suggest a simple way to take action to make a difference in someone's life.

I have made a conscious effort to smile at co-workers, neighbors and strangers just in case they need it.  It's a small gesture that might make a difference.  It makes me feel like I'm doing something positive, and anything positive, no matter how small, is better than nothing.