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Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Here Are 55 Wholesome Pics To Beat Your Doomscrolling Habit (New Pics)

Psychology Today

You’ve been looking a bit stressed and blue recently, and we want to change that. If you haven’t heard the awesome news yet, the wonderfully-named ‘Heck This Is Wholesome’ online group features some of the most heartwarming and wholesome content from all around the world.

We’re bringing a little bit of their sunshine into your life, too. Scroll down for a friendly reminder that the world is full of goodness, kindness, light, wonder, cute pets, and courage—you just need to look for it, instead of concentrating just on the darkness. If you end up smiling and laughing even a little today, we’ve done our job right!

#1 Mash Potate

#2 On A Scale Of 1-10 How Baby Is This Lamb?

#3 I Think Someone Has A Crush On My Christmas Light Decoration

Human beings have negativity bias, which means that we are all more sensitive to negative information than positive news. What this means, in practice, is that, for example, we will focus more on a single piece of criticism than we do on several compliments.

Negativity tends to command our attention more and stick with us for longer.

Focusing on negativity, flaws, threats, and risks is our brain’s way of keeping us safe. It helped our ancestors survive potential dangers, but it can be exhausting for us in our day-to-day lives. If you chronically ruminate on just negative thoughts, you will hurt your mental health and strain your relationships.

This is why you need to put in deliberate effort to remind yourself that the world is not, in fact, just doom, gloom, selfishness, and evil. There’s a lot of altruism, love, and beauty out there, mixed in with the rest.

#4 These Birbs Love Each Other Even Through Disability

This crow couple has been together for over 12 years. She broke her beak 8 years ago in a car crash. He has patiently fed her and loved her ever since.

#5 The Street Is Very Hot, So The Saleswoman Allows Kittens To Go Into The Store And Sleep On The Freezer

#6 Heckthisiswholesome!

The main things that you can do to combat negativity bias in your daily routine are to:

Reduce negative self-talk;
Reframe the situation differently;
Establish new behavior patterns;
Distract yourself;
Savor positive moments.

Just keep in mind that behavioral changes and positive habits don’t appear overnight. These processes take time. You will face challenges and setbacks. You will (probably) be frustrated with yourself at some point. But with enough patience and focused effort, you’ll get there.

#7 Pippa Always Comes Out For The Daily Delivery. But When There's No Mail Or Her, I Have To Improvise

#8 I Are Feerce!

#9 This Is Adorable

So, for instance, it is not unnatural to beat yourself up a little bit over making a dumb mistake. However, instead of fixating on those mistakes (you can’t change them), try to hone in on the lessons that you can learn (think about what you will do differently in the future).

Try to stop negative self-talk as soon as it begins. Cut off the overly negative train of thought before it can even leave the metaphorical station.

#10 So My Dog Has A Closet For All Of His Neck Ties And Bow Ties

#11 Get In Loser We're Going On Walkies

#12 The Kitty’s Face! 😂

Reframing the events that have happened to you essentially means that you try to interpret things differently than you normally would. Specifically, you can try to focus on reframing your experiences in a more negative light.

That being said—and we can’t stress this enough—this does not mean living naively or ignoring potential dangers. You are simply trying to see things through a more objective lens, keeping in mind that human beings are hard-wired to hyperfocus on negativity.

#13 This Is Adorable

#14 This Is The Way

#15 Goodest Window

You can try to consciously redirect your attention elsewhere when you notice yourself getting mired in negativity. For instance, you could distract yourself with a good book, some positive music, a funny video, a list of wholesome pics (hey!), or some pleasant activity that you enjoy.

When in doubt, go on a long walk, preferably in nature. Or reach out to a trusted friend or family member to distract yourself with some positive socializing.

#16 Is He Making That Face Again?

#17 This Is So Pure!

#18 The Goodest

Furthermore, it really helps to intentionally focus on savoring those positive moments as they pop up in your life. Later, replay those joyful moments in your mind.

“Because it takes more for positive experiences to be remembered, it is important to give extra attention to good things that happen. Where negative things might be quickly transferred and stored in your long-term memory, you need to make more of an effort to get the same effect from happy moments,” Verywell Mind stresses.

#19 And So The Prophesy Foretold

#20 Oh, Heck

#21 This Is Adorable

There are two instincts at odds in human life. On the one hand, you have selfish and greedy behavior, which pushes you to hoard resources for survival. On the other end of the scale, you have selfless behavior, which matches the idea that human beings are highly social animals living in complex societies. Altruism encourages you to embrace pro-social behavior that benefits your loved ones, group, and community, at your own expense.

In a sense, altruism can be both selfish and selfless. “In some sense, altruists put others’ interests ahead of their own—but giving to others often feels good and can result in longer-term gains for the giver. ‘Reciprocal altruism’ is a term used by scientists for helping that is sustained by an eventual payoff from the person that receives help,” Psychology Today explains.

And yet, this doesn’t change the fact that kindness is everywhere around you: the world is not dominated by just selfishness.

#22 There's A Dog School In Canada So They Don't Stay Home Alone. This Is A Picture Taken On The Way To School

#23 Fools!

#24 Rescued Him At 8 Weeks But In Reality He Rescued Me And Has Been My Best Friend Throughout This Pandemic. Whole Lotta Love For My 18 Month Old Goober

According to Psychology Today, some altruistic tendencies are innate and reactive, while others are learned as a part of being exposed to local cultures. “Many altruistic acts are reactive: Human beings respond compassionately when they see others in pain and in need of help.”

Some individuals, however, are so-called ‘extreme altruists’ and behave much more selflessly than their peers.

This is likely due to the differences in the size of their brains’ amygdala, their responsiveness to others’ distress, and influences from religious upbringing and socioeconomic status.

#25 Look At Them Beans!!

#26 Look At That Smile

#27 Dads Are Great

‘Heck This Is Wholesome’ has been brightening internet users’ lives since 2021, and the community has recently celebrated its 5th birthday.

Let us know what you think after you’ve looked through these pics and upvoted your favorite ones. Which of these images genuinely improved your mood?

What do you do to stay positive, optimistic, and hopeful, while keeping the cynicism, doomscrolling, and negativity at bay? How do you balance it out with a good, healthy dose of realism? Tell us what you think!

#28 My Lil Bro Stole My Hat And I Think He Wears It Better😩😬😎

#29 Watching 10 Pm Mews

#30 This Picture Made My Day

#31 It’s These Moments 😭 She Is The Cornerstone Of My Family. I Love You Nanny

#32 Wholesome Devs

#33 This Mom Is Awesome

#34 Growing Up Is Hard

#35 Warning: You Have Activated The Tiny Toe Beanz

#36 Heck This Is Wholesome

#37 Delighted To Share This Wonderful News!

#38 I Left The Window Open And Now It’s Too Cold For His Royal Highness 🥶

#39 I Love Humanity, This Was Honestly Soo Sweet And Such A Wholesome Experience!

p.s.: it worked btw🥲

#40 This Is Adorable And I Cant

#41 Drunk Texted My Daughter In The Middle Of The Night

#42 You Have Entered Real Sleepy Sparrow Hours

#43 I'm So Baby, Don't Look I'm Embarrassed

#44 If Your Squad Is Going To 'The Party Of The Year' You Better Arrive In Style

#45 Maybe I Am Handsome

#46 Becoming A Doctor One Year, Then Hooding Your Husband As He Becomes One The Next. 💚

#47 This Three-Year-Old Wanted To Celebrate His Birthday By Having Breakfast With The Garbage Collectors, And I Genuinely Don’t Think Hearts Get Softer Than This

#48 This Man Is Now My Hero 🥹💙💛

#49 He's Mastered The Ponytail 🥹 Next Stop The Fishtail Plait? 👀❤️

#50 So Special 😭❤️🫶🏻 Definitely This Years Easter Dress 🥹😭

#51 Thank U @buildabear For Helping Take Care Of My Mama This Year

#52 And The Best Father-In-Law Award Goes To…. @hittingwithtorque

#53 She’s Also Just A Girl 🥹🥹

Also mum told me no one has ever made her a Dolly Varden cake before! Mum always used to make our birthdays so special (and still does) and I’m so happy I can do the same for her, happy birthday to my beautiful mum 💗💗