Choosing Joy Over Outrage

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through social media, only to look up and realize you feel… worse? Lately, that’s been me. A lot. I’d log on to Facebook or Instagram, hoping for connection or a bit of inspiration, and instead, I’d find a wall of noise.

It feels like the whole online world is running on outrage. People seem to be intentionally posting controversial things just to get clicks, to stir the pot, to make everyone angry. And I realized it was working on me. It was causing me stress and a deep sense of unhappiness. My shoulders were constantly tense, and I’d walk away from my screen feeling bewildered that people could be so awful to each other. Even my Oura ring was noticing the tension. Every day ended with it telling me I had been stressed.

It was affecting everything. My work. My home life. My sleep.

And that’s not what I want my life to be about.

All I really want is to find joy and peace in my day. I want to create things, to learn, to relax, and to feel good about how I spend my precious time. So, I’ve made a conscious decision to step back. You might have noticed I’m not as active or engaged on social media anymore, and this is why. I’ve traded the endless scroll for something much more fulfilling.

Instead of getting sucked into arguments, I’m pouring my energy into things that actually bring me joy. I’ve been having an absolute blast playing with the creative tools I love. I'm diving deep into AI text generators, exploring what they can do for my writing process, and just having fun with them. I'm creating AI images and videos, not for any grand purpose, but for the sheer delight of making something new. It feels like play. It feels like magic.

And when I’m not doing that, I’m rediscovering simpler pleasures. I'm knitting and watching all the TV shows I can. I’m spending my evenings working on a puzzle or getting lost in a good book, things I used to say I “didn't have time for.” Sudoku has become my newest obsession. Really. Turns out, I have a lot more time when I’m not donating it to the outrage machine.

This whole experience has made me think about what we’re all getting from social media. Is it genuine connection? Is it inspiration? Or is it just a habit that leaves us feeling drained, frustrated, or baffled by humanity?

For me, the answer became clear. I'm choosing joy. I'm choosing peace. I'm choosing to spend my time creating, not consuming negativity.

I’d ask you to share your own thoughts on this, but as you might know from a previous misadventure… my website comments are still broken. Thanks to yours truly. Just something to think about, I guess!

As you were.

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