Fake-it-till-you-make-it is not actually healthy or effective

Dear friends, 

"Striving to look carefree and happy can interfere with your ability to feel so." 

Jia Tolentino wrote these words long before the global pandemic, the murder hornets, the most recent events of police brutality, the fascist threat to our modes of communication from TikTok to the USPS . . .⁠
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Social media has always been a place where we can feign happiness. Okayness. Carefreeness. ⁠
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The price? Our actual happiness. ⁠
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How about we just not? How about we be ourselves? Scared, sad, whatever. ⁠

These are natural human responses to a literal barrage of crises. ⁠
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We're already seeing a lot of this on social media. Movement building. Frankness. Honesty. ⁠
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Let's keep it going. ⁠
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This could change the face of online communication as we know it. And not a moment too soon.

P.S. If you’ve read this far, thank you! I invite you to join my mailing list for occasional musings and updates on retreats and events. I won't spam you, or share your data. Let's start supporting small businesses on platforms they own!