Social media can be great: it’s reunited me with long lost friends, showed me that cats are afraid of cucumbers, and even taught me how to make an origami crane.

But it does have a dark side. As my friend Alis says: ‘The secret to happiness is: NEVER read comments threads’.

CUTE OVER CURT

Online we can be harsh, judgemental and quick to anger, so before I contribute to an online debate that takes up way too much time, I always ask myself: Is it kind? Is it helpful? Is it better to look at pictures of cute animals than to get into a pointless argument? (Yes it is.)

FEELING HOPEFUL

The rolling news reports can be relentlessly grim, and I’m not sure if there’s any point reposting bleak stories when we’ve all seen them already, plus I believe it has a very negative effect on our collective mental health.

Years ago I decided to post ‘good news’ stories as often as possible. Turns out there are plenty of humans being amazing in the world, who are working to improve bad situations. That way we don’t feel hopeless but hopeful.

Also, as soon as I’ve read/bought/eaten something I like: I review it – it’s a quick way to be kind online.

Follow writer and performer Bernadette at BernadetteRussell.com or @betterussell

Tweet your kindness adventures #BeKind

Read more Bernadette Russell: How to be kind at bedtime and how to be kind to everyone