 |
| Photo courtesy of Jelena Mirkovic on Unsplash |
Even before I started my blog, I was spending the vast majority of my time on social media. Admittedly, it would probably be beneficial for me to cut back on the amount of time I spend looking at a screen, as I'm often spending at least 12 hours a day on my computer; and that's a low estimate. Is that terrible? Probably. But personally, I don't view social media or technology in general as being a bad thing. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of negativity on social media, but there's also a lot of positivity. I'd be lying if I said that technology hasn't had both a positive and a negative impact on my life, but personally, I like to focus on the positive. I honestly believe that social media is what you make of it, and it mainly depends on how you choose to use it.
Personally, I often find myself using modern technology for self-care, and I find that it can actually be uplifting when you look in the right places. Especially right now, as it's making it easy for us to stay connected during these uncertain times where we can't be together physically. All of that being said, while there's still undeniably a lot of negativity and darkness on the internet, I would personally prefer to use social media in an uplifting way. If I'm going to be spending most of my time at my desk, I might as well do something positive with my time online. So with that in mind, I have decided to create a 30-day challenge to use social media in a way that makes a positive impact on my own life and helps to uplift others as well. I want social media to be a fun and uplifting way to stay connected, even when we're apart. So I'd like to challenge myself, and whoever is interested, to do something positive on social media every day for 30 days.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Ella Jardim on Unsplash |
For the record, you do not have to be a blogger or content creator to do this challenge. As a matter of fact, some parts of this challenge aren't necessarily intended to be content and are more intended to help you connect with the people that you care most about. If you'd like to try this challenge, there is absolutely no pressure to share any of it with the public if you're not comfortable making your posts public. You can always choose to do this entire challenge privately amongst your closest friends. It's totally up to you whether you use this as a content calendar of sorts, or if you just want to do this as a fun way to brighten your friends day, or perhaps you even want to do this entirely for you.
You also don't have to be on every social media platform to be able to do this challenge, and you can always adapt this challenge to work with what you have and what you're comfortable with. I'd also like to say that you don't necessarily have to strive to do each daily challenge consecutively for 30 days. As a matter of fact, if you'd like to detox from social media for a day or two (or three) while you're doing this challenge, I encourage it. You can pick up right where you left off. This challenge is intended to be fun, and should not feel like a chore if you choose to take it on.
Day 0 - Do some digital spring cleaning!
So, while this is entirely optional, I highly recommend doing some digital spring cleaning before you begin this challenge. Since the whole idea of this challenge is to bring more positivity to the time you spend on social media, it's not a bad idea to clear some of the negativity from your digital life. Unfollow people and pages that make you feel bad or that upset you, or at least mute them. Clear your feed from the negative clutter. While you're at it, you can also clean up your devices to free up some space on them, and do a little maintenance to keep them running smoothly. If you're interested, I have a post on the areas that I like to focus on when I'm doing my digital spring cleaning, and what I do to keep my feeds and my devices clutter-free...
Day 1 - Send someone a kind message.
Let's start this challenge off with something that may seem super simple, but can really make someone's day, and send someone a kind message. It can be anyone, whether it's your significant other, a friend, a family member, a coworker you work well with, anyone; it can even be a stranger. My only suggestion is to be sure that the person your messaging is comfortable receiving messages or DMs if you don't know them that well. You can say anything in your message, as long as it's kind (and not creepy). Brighten their day, send them some encouragement, compliment them, show them your appreciation, make their day.
Day 2 - Create a collection of images that make you happy.
There are some pictures on the internet that make me super happy, just by looking at them. Whether it's pictures of cute cats and dogs, clothes, shoes, flowers, inspiring quotes, or food that I'd like to try, I sometimes find myself falling in love with a photo. So much so that I want to save it, which is why I love sites like WeHeartIt and Pinterest. That way, I can collect my favorite pictures in a place where I can find them without using all of the storage on my devices. So that being said, find some images you really like and create a little WeHeartIt collection or Pinterest board for them. You could also choose to share them in a Tweet or Facebook post if you'd like, or even create a mood board of your favorite images. It's entirely up to you!
Day 3 - Find an online community for something that you're interested in.
Are you a fan of someone or something? There's a good chance you'll find a fandom for it online, where you can make new friends discussing whatever it is you're a big fan of. Do you have any hobbies that you particularly enjoy? It's highly likely that there's a community of people who also enjoy that same hobby, and can even share a few pointers on it. Would you like to connect with people who have a similar lifestyle or who have similar goals? Whatever it may be that you might be into, or want to discuss, social media makes it possible to find your community. Whether you're looking to make new online friends, or simply just read what other people have to say, look for a positive community for something you're interested in.
Whether you choose to check out a new Facebook group, Discord server, Subreddit, or even just follow a few accounts on Twitter is up to you. As long as it's a positive community, allow yourself to be a part of it.
Day 4 - Share some positive and motivating quotes.
Are there any quotes that inspire you or that fill you with positivity? Share them! Whether it's a quote that someone famous said, something you heard somewhere at some point in your life, or even something that you came up with yourself, share them with your friends, family, and/or followers. If you're feeling a little extra creative, you can play around with typography and make your own pictures quotes; or you could choose to simply Tweet them or post them to Facebook. Just share some of your favorite positive and uplifting quotes, you never know who might benefit from seeing them.
Day 5 - Create and share a playlist of songs that make you happy or inspire you.
Who doesn't love a playlist full of songs that put them in a good mood or songs that inspire them? I know that I do and that I love sharing my favorite songs with others. I also enjoy discovering new songs from other people to add to my playlist. So with all of that said, as a little act of self-care, create a playlist full of songs that make you happy. They can be old songs, new songs, or some mix of the two. They can be of any genre or popularity as well. If they make you happy, add them to your playlist, then share your playlist with those who follow you. Once again, it's up to you how you choose to create and share your playlist. You can make a YouTube or Spotify playlist, or you can simply create a list of songs to share.
Day 6 - Share some photos of your pet(s) or of your favorite animal(s).
Everyone loves animals! I personally love seeing pictures of people's pets. So if you have a pet, post some photos of them to your feed. If you don't have a pet (or your pet refuses to let you take a photo of them for some reason), you can always find some pictures, GIFs, or videos of your favorite animal and share those. You never know whose day you might make by sharing some cute animal photos or videos.
Day 7 - FaceTime or video chat with someone that you care about.
Texting is great, and I'm personally more of a texter than a talker, but sometimes it's nice to hear someone's voice and see their face, especially if it's someone that you care a lot about. So that being said, having the capability to video chat with the people that you love when you can't see them in person is one of the many amazing things about modern technology. So set aside a moment to video chat with someone that you care a lot about and that you're comfortable video chatting with, whether it's your significant other, a family member, or your best friend. You could even make it a group video call with several close friends if you'd like, and if you're comfortable with it, but one-on-one video chats are just as amazing.
If you're not comfortable with being on camera, you can opt to do a voice-only call instead. Just take a moment to chat with someone you love in real-time, even if it's just for a few minutes.
Day 8 - Give a little shoutout to someone who inspires you.
Show a little appreciation for someone who inspires you or has made a positive impact on your life by making a post to give them a quick shoutout. You can shoutout anyone you'd like, whether it's a family member, a friend, a coworker, or your partner. You could also choose to shoutout an influencer or celebrity if you'd like, or if you're not comfortable sharing too much of your personal life on social media. As long as the person has had a positive impact on you, show them a little bit of appreciation in a quick social media post.
Day 9 - Rewatch some of your old favorite YouTube videos.
Just because something is older, it doesn't mean that it isn't still enjoyable. As a matter of fact, sometimes, nostalgia can make some of your favorite things from the past even better; and YouTube videos are no exception to this rule. So give yourself a moment to sit down and watch some of your old favorite YouTube videos, whether they're from a year ago, ten years ago, or anywhere in between.
Day 10 - Post a picture of your favorite outfit, or share your style!
Do you have a favorite outfit? You could take this as an opportunity to wear your favorite outfit and get a photo of yourself in it, or you could choose to make a creative flat lay with your favorite outfit. You also have the option to simply share a few photos from the internet of clothes you'd like to wear that represents your personal style. Or if you're feeling creative, you could put together your dream outfit online using a Polyvore-like site like URSTYLE, and create a mood board of an outfit (or outfits) you'd love to wear and share your style that way.
Day 11 - Create and share a list of things that make you happy.
I personally like to focus on things that bring me joy, whether it's the big things or the little things. For me, taking a moment to even just think of the things that make me happy, is a form of self-care, and personally, I love to sit down and put these things into some sort of a visual. Whether it's something as creative as a collage or mood board, or something as simple as a list that I can look at when I'm feeling stressed and need a little pick-me-up, I love having a visual of the things that make me happy, as it's a reminder of just how much I have to be joyful about. It also makes it easy for me to share the joy if I'd like to, as I know that I personally love to read about the things that make other people happy, both as inspiration and as a reminder of the things that I may be overlooking. So if someone could find some inspiration from the things that make me happy, why not share them?
All of that being said, take a moment to sit down and create a list of things that make you happy, and share them with your friends and followers. You can get as creative as you'd like with how you choose to make your list or keep it simple, and you can add anything that you'd like to your life, as long as it makes you happy. Whether it's the people in your life, people you look up to, your hobbies, an item that sparks joy, or whatever else, add it to your list and share it to spread the joy.
Day 12 - Find, read, and share some positive and uplifting blog posts or articles.
I absolutely love reading content that motivates and inspires me, and that fills me with positivity. Whether it's content about my hobbies or interests, motivating life advice, or something that I simply find positive or inspiring, I reading something uplifting can really brighten my day. So take some time out of your day to look for some blog posts or articles that you know will fill you with joy and read them, then share the joy by sharing them with your friends and followers who might be interested in them.
If you're not sure where to look for blog posts, Pinterest is absolutely marvelous, and you can search for whatever makes you happy. You can also easily find a lot of positive and inspiring content on Fashion Potluck, which is a female-driven social media platform full of great content related to fashion, beauty, travel, food, lifestyle, and other great content.
Day 13 - Leave a kind comment on someone's post.
Sometimes I find myself being surprised at just how much a simple comment on one of my social media posts can really affect my mood for the day. Sometimes, even on a terrible day, all it takes to brighten my mood is a kind comment. So with that in mind, take a moment to spread a little bit of kindness and leave someone a sweet comment. Whether you choose to comment on someone's Instagram or Facebook post, reply to someone's Tweet, or comment on their YouTube or TikTok video, take a moment to spread a little kindness, and potentially make someone's day.
Day 14 - Find some new positive people, pages, and topics to follow.
I personally love seeing uplifting content on my feed as I'm scrolling through social media and seeing more things that make me happy than make me sad or angry. So take a moment to find a few new people or pages to follow that post content that motivates you, inspires you, or simply makes you happy. You could also choose to follow some topics that fill you with joy and inspire you. Whether it's your hobbies, your favorite shows, your favorite animal, motivational quotes, or whatever else, if it fills you with joy, add it to your home feed.
Day 15 - Post a throwback to a happy memory.
Sometimes I find that it's nice to reminisce a little bit about positive memories. Whether they are memories from one year ago, or ten years ago, I occasionally like to look back on fond memories from the past, both big and small. I enjoy looking at old photos and reminiscing about those moments. I enjoy looking back on my past accomplishments and remembering how empowered I felt at that moment in time and thinking of how far I've come since that day, and how much more I've accomplished since then. So allow yourself to take a moment to reminisce about a fond memory that you have, and share that memory with your friends and followers. Whether it's an accomplishment you've made, treasured moments with friends or family, a vacation that you enjoyed, an extraordinary event in your life, or even something seemingly small, take a moment to reminisce and post a little throwback to your feed.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Jelena Mirkovic on Unsplash |
Day 16 - Share your favorite recipe or food.
Do you have a favorite meal or treat? Perhaps you could use this as an excuse to treat yourself to your favorite meal to get a photo of it! Or you could simply share your favorite recipe with your friends and followers, whether it's your own recipe or a recipe that you've tried and really liked. You could also choose to make a Pinterest board of your favorite recipes or foods you'd love to try. Just share what makes your taste buds happy.
Day 17 - Share the best piece of advice that you have ever been given.
Have you ever heard any advice that has positively impacted your life? Share some of that wisdom! Whether it was a quote, a blog post, a YouTube video, something someone in your life said, share some of that wisdom with the people who follow your feed. You never know who may also benefit from that same advice. If possible, don't forget to give a little bit of credit to the person or source that learned that piece of advice from, just to show a little bit of appreciation. If, however, you can't remember exactly who or where you heard that word of advice from, that's fine too. Just spread a little bit of wisdom and positivity to those who might need it.
Day 18 - Find and actually try a tutorial that interests you.
I personally find that I spend a lot of time watching a lot of different types of tutorials on YouTube, pinning tutorials and recipes on Pinterest, and bookmarking tutorials from blog posts to try later, but rarely actually trying any of them. Even when time and supplies isn't much of an issue, I often find myself dreaming of trying something I found online, but not doing it. So with that said, find some sort of tutorial that you could plausibly do, and give it a try. Whether it's a hair or makeup tutorial, a recipe, a creative project, a workout, or even a guided meditation, give yourself the time to give it a try. You don't have to be an expert at it, just have some fun with it.
Day 19 - Share something that makes you laugh!
Is there a YouTube or TikTok video that never fails to make you laugh? Is there a meme that almost gets you every time, or a joke that makes you literally laugh out loud whenever you hear it? Give your followers a taste of yourself sense of humor, and share something that makes you laugh. After all, they do say that laughter is the best medicine. So spread a little joy and possibly make someone's day with something they can get a chuckle out of.
Day 20 - Create a playlist of videos that make you happy.
Recently, I've decided to make a playlist of anxiety-busting and lighthearted videos that I can turn to when I'm feeling anxious and need a quick distraction from the stresses of life, or for whenever I need something fun to watch. I've found that it's been nice to have a little collection of videos that I know make me smile when I need a little pick-me-up, so I strongly recommend creating your own playlist of videos that make you smile. My playlist primarily consists of cute animal videos, although I'll be adding anything to it that I find to be fun and lighthearted. You can add anything you'd like to your playlist, as long as it makes you happy and brings you joy, whether you're into animal videos, videos of cute kids and babies, comedy sketches, or whatever else.
Day 21 - Share five things that you're grateful for.
Whether I'm having a good day or a bad day, I have found time and time again that taking a moment to practice a little bit of gratitude goes a long way in boosting my mood. There are so many things that many of us have to be grateful for that are often easy to overlook, especially in a moment of frustration. So regardless of whether you're in a good mood or a terrible mood, take a moment to sit down and remember at least five things that you're grateful for and share them with your followers, as it just might serve as a reminder to them of what they have to be thankful for as well if they're in a rut. Your five things can be absolutely anything, they can even be things that may seem superficial, just as long as you're sincerely grateful for them and they mean something to you. You can also share more then five things if you'd like, there's no such thing as too much gratitude.
Day 22 - Send someone you care about a private message and show them some appreciation.
Take a moment to think about somebody in your personal life that means a lot to you, and has made a positive impact on your life. Think about what this person means to you, and write them a private message telling them just how much you love and care about them and how important they are to you. Whether this person is your significant other, your best friend (online or offline), or a family member, take some time to sit down and show them what they mean to you through a text or a direct message and put some thought into your message to them. Show them in words how important they are to you.
Day 23 - Share a positive and/or lighthearted news article!
We all know how dark and negative the news can be, some days it seems like it's all negative, and it can be freaking depressing. So when you come across a positive or lighthearted news article, it's super refreshing. Whether it's a news story highlighting acts of kindness, something cute or silly, or a story to give hope in a bad situation, I like seeing some good news. So take a moment to find a positive story to read and share with your followers who might be needing to hear some good news, even if it's something small.
Day 24 - Browse through a positive hashtag.
There's actually quite a lot of fun and positive hashtags out there. From well-known weekly motivational and inspirational hashtags like #MotivationMonday and #WednesdayWisdom to hashtags that are in general motivating, inspiring, and fun, there are plenty of uplifting hashtags to scroll through. So take a few minutes to scroll through a fun and positive hashtag, whether to get some motivation and inspiration, have a laugh, or just bring some happiness into your day.
Day 25 - Partake in a fun (and safe) social media trend.
Although I have to say that there are quite a lot of social media trends that are foolish and even dangerous, there are a lot of them that are actually positive and fun. So if there's a social media trend that you'd like to be a part of, and it's not harmful in any way, participate in it! Whether you choose to do a harmless social media challenge, take part in a TikTok trend, or even just play a hashtag game, allow yourself to have a little bit of fun. As long as you aren't causing harm, and you're spreading positivity, if you're interested in a trend, go for it.
Day 26 - Give someone a compliment in a comment or message.
Personally, I always love a good compliment, and I enjoy both giving and receiving them. It's such a quick way to brighten someone's day and even give them a little confidence boost, and it often takes little to no time at all. So take a minute or two out of your day to give someone a compliment on social media, anyone. It can be someone you're close to through a private message, or maybe someone you don't know through a comment on their post, and you can compliment them on anything you'd like. Compliment them for their kindness, sense of humor, intelligence, or something you like about their personality. If you love their style, or if you think their hair looks good in a photo, let them know, you just might make their day.
Day 27 - Post your favorite selfie and/or list what you love about yourself.
Not only is it okay to love and accept yourself, but it's necessary! Loving yourself and acknowledging your strengths does not make you an egomaniac or a narcissist, it does not mean that you think you're better than other people, it just means that you recognize the beauty in yourself. So with that said, I encourage you to post your favorite photo of yourself, and caption it with a list of things that you love about yourself. If you're not comfortable with posting selfies on the internet for any reason, you can always just post a list of things that you love about yourself instead. You can list anything as well, whether it has to do with your looks, personality, physical strengths, mental strengths, or anything about yourself. Don't be embarrassed or afraid to love yourself!
Day 28 - Got any advice you feel would benefit someone? Share it!
Is there any advice or life lessons that you've learned through your own personal experiences that you believe that other people could learn from, or benefit from hearing? Share your own words of advice with your friends and followers. You can share your words of wisdom on anything you'd like, whether it's relationship advice, life advice, student advice, parenting advice, or whatever you'd like to share your insight on. You never know who might benefit from hearing about your experiences, or who might be inspired by what you have to say. Your words of advice just might be what someone reading your post needed to hear.
Day 29 - Create and share a watchlist of your favorite movies and shows.
Do you have any movies or shows that you'd highly recommend to others? Are there any shows that you could rewatch over and over without getting bored of them? Whether your favorite movies and shows are new or old, create a watchlist of some of your favorites, then share that list with your friends and followers. You never know who might be looking for their next show to binge-watch in their downtime, and who else just might end up loving one of your favorite shows or movies.
Day 30 - Share anything encouraging, positive, or uplifting!
To end this challenge, I want you to share anything that you find positive and uplifting that your heart desires. Share a quote, share a cute photo or video, share a blog post that you like, tell a story of your own, share your art, anything. As long as it's positive, share it with your followers, and have fun with it.
Download the FREE printer-friendly calendar!
If you're interested in this challenge and would like a calendar to follow to help you keep track of the days, I have decided to include a free printable calendar for you. Feel free to download it and share it with your friends or print it off. Feel free to mark off the days with doodles, stickers, or whatever you'd like to help you keep track of the days as you complete them.
Social media is not going away anytime soon, and honestly, I wouldn't want it to. If anything, social media is only going to continue to grow. That being said, I believe that social media is what you make of it, so let's make it a positive thing. Let's use it to spread positivity and bring some joy into our lives, rather than negativity. Let's use it to stay connected and lift each other up instead of tear each other down. Let's make it something fun rather than something dreadful. Social media does not have to be a bad thing.
If you have any suggestions for additional challenges that aren't on this calendar, leave them in the comments, I'd love to hear them and maybe even try them. Also, if you decide to take on this challenge, let me know, and I'd be happy to check out some of your posts from this challenge. I am not setting a specific timeline for when to do this challenge, as I want you to feel like you can do this challenge whenever you wish if you choose to do it. Once again, you also don't have to do all the days consecutively, and you can also rearrange them to your liking if you wish. I'm allowing full flexibility with this challenge because, as I said before, this is meant to be fun, not a chore.
No comments
Post a Comment