Since the start of the pandemic, it has become common for people to spend time on Twitter doomscrolling through the bad news that seems to never stop coming. Through social media, we get a glimpse into some of the worst parts of humanity and it can feel like the world is burning around us. However, we often lose sight that there is hope out there as well. Today I wanted to look at how we can find hope when we feel our world burning around us, because that hope will get us through.
1) Do Your Research
In horror, we see that more often than not; we are most afraid of things that we can’t see clearly or don’t fully understand. A good horror writer knows to give the creature hunting the characters as much mystique as possible to build suspense. When we know and understand things, they are less scary. When we open ourselves to learn more about what is really happening, we learn about what we can do to change things and get an insight into handling those problems. Sometimes the solutions are straightforward to see. Sometimes we actually have no power in the situation. Being able to see and understand what is happening lets us see where we have the power to change things and where it requires larger systemic change.
2) Exert The Power You Have
As mentioned in the last point, there are places where we have significantly less power than we would like. But often we aren’t as powerless as we feel. While I as a disabled person in the United States, can have very little impact on Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, I have the power to help support Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing from the war by supporting Ukrainian owned businesses and donating to related causes. While I can’t stop police from being violent towards disabled people or people of color, I can take action to help by voting for a sheriff that isn’t ready to throw a smoke bomb into a crowd of protesters. We often have more power in situations than we believe we do. When we have learned about the situation and taken the action we can, we can see the glimmer of hope better. While the world may be burning now, maybe it won’t be burning forever.
3) Curate Your Social Media Use
There is so much news coverage that is geared towards getting the most engagement. Often, that engagement is motivated by fear. When we keep that in mind, we can curate our social media to still be aware of what is happening in the world while also seeing more positive. While a lot of terrible things are happening in the world, there are many brilliant creators bringing joy to the world through their creations. Look for the people who work for you and that you find brighten up your social media feed. It’s okay to not be plugged in all the time. It’s okay to have fun with social media. Just change how you engage and who you follow and you find that your feed improves so that you can enjoy more of your social media use.
These are 3 tips to help you find hope when the world feels like it’s burning. Did I forget something? Have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below.