You can choose to be kind
It's trite, but it's true and maybe, just maybe, the phrase has been burned into my brain from my kids watching Daniel Tiger on repeat. I've found it to be the best way to approach interactions in life and online — you can and should be kind to yourself too.
I struggle with the be kind to yourself bit — I'm extremely self critical and I find it hard to get past that, I always have. I imagine it's a blend of imposter syndrome and the lack of confidence that that stems from. It's a nice goal to keep an eye on though and something I try and practice on an ongoing basis.
I always want to be an optimist and my interest in being kind, perhaps, is rooted in that. I'm not sure. I know, well, everything makes optimism hard to maintain lately. Perhaps it's being a parent — modeling kindness is critical and having kids demands optimism. I love being a parent and I will always want the best for them. They deserve a world better than we currently have on offer — culturally, technologically and ecologically. Kindness can, would and should yield something better than what we have at the moment.
So, take a beat, take a breath and be kind. You'll be better for it, we'll all be better for it.