Getting bombarded with negative news is no good for us. Crime, politics, even controversies in the entertainment world – we're sometimes much better off by not reading or watching it. In fact, in a survey of 266 therapists by GrowTherapy, 96.6% of them said watching or reading the news can have a negative impact on our mental health.
While we have to follow what happens in the world to some extent, curating our news feed so it contains more positivity is also important. That's where pages like Tank Sinatra's good news Instagram account come in. Here are some positive news stories from them to make your today's news feed at least a little bit more uplifting!
#1
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#2
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#3
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
Tank's Good News is one account of many under the brand of Tank Sinatra (others include Influencers in the Wild and the original Tank Sinatra meme page). Tank is one of the most prolific meme creators online, with some even calling him "The Michael Jordan of Memes."
Sinatra launched the Instagram page back in 2017, and it has since racked up over three million followers. But don't worry, Tank Sinatra isn't the real name of the person behind all these accounts. The man is George Resch, and, as he told amNY last year just before the holidays, the idea to create such a page had been brewing in his mind for a long time. For 35 years, to be exact.
#4
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#5
Image credits: 2StefanMoore
#6
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
"I remember watching the news as a little kid with my father and asking him 'Why are there so many murders, kidnappings, robberies, etc.' and he said: 'There aren't, it's just what the news focuses on.' My mind was blown, I just couldn't understand it."
Resch also told the publication that tries to commit small acts of kindness whenever he can. One of the ways is to give his CVS ExtraBucks away to others. "I try and find an elderly person or maybe a parent alone with their kids. Sometimes it's $3.00 sometimes it's $30.00, but it's always nice to give to people, whether they need it or not. It's about reminding people that random good things do happen."
#7
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#8
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#9
Image credits: FreeBabarAhmad
"I'm a big believer in the fact that things have always been the way they are," Resch also told the NACS podcast this year. He says the key to being content is living in the moment. "People will say: 'Things are worse now.' I think certain things are worse, but certain things are better. And 100 years ago certain things were worse and certain things were better," he said, explaining his philosophy.
#10
Image credits: Markjar1966
#11
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#12
Image credits: Goodable
While telling his story on the Rachel Ray Show in 2021, Resch said that the inspiration for his good news page came partly from a photo. The woman in it is sitting on a jet ski in her flooded home after Hurricane Harvey. Resch explains how her smiling through this hardship made him realize that "Even in a tragedy, attitude is everything."
#13
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#14
Image credits: just_juanie
#15
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
The good news page is proof that kindness can be contagious. On the NACS podcast, Resch recalled how one man messaged him saying how the page inspired him to start a non-profit, and that it's what he's been doing now full-time for years. Yet George isn't quick to take credit. "It's not me," he said on the Rachel Ray show. "It's the content of the page. [It] changed the way they see the world."
#16
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#17
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#18
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
Instagram is not the only place you can find Tank's Good News. If you're ever filling up gas in the U.S., you might've seen Resch's face on a screen, delivering some positive, uplifting news stories through GSTV. "I don't know if being on gas station TV screens is a cool thing to be proud of and grateful for, but I am," he wrote in a post on Instagram. "These good news stories get out in front of 115 million people per month. If that's all I ever accomplish on earth, then I feel like I've done my part."
#19
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#20
Image credits: KeysWalletPh0ne
#21
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
If you're really fed up with negative news, there are ways to lessen the negative effects it has on your mental health. The mental health experts at Growth Therapy say that the first step could be limiting your exposure to traditional news sites. Turn off news app notifications and give yourself a limited amount of time per day to read news sites. But don't go full cold turkey; you have to know what's going on in the world.
#22
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#23
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#24
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
If you still feel stressed, direct your attention elsewhere. Distract yourself with social activities, an old or a new hobby, or physical exercise. Mindy Hall Czech, a licensed professional counselor with Grow Therapy, recommends getting involved in the causes you care about, whether that's volunteering in animal shelters, joining a non-profit, or getting involved in other organizations.
#25
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#26
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#27
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
You can also curate your news feed and include more positive news sites into your feed. Along with Tank's Good News, try following more similar good news pages. Like the Good Black News page that shares "the good things black people do, give or receive all over the world." Or give Good Good Good a try, an independent good news media organization.
#28
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#29
Image credits: hurtingsoulsig
#30
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
What about you, Pandas? What recent good deeds and stories have you seen online or in real life? Share them with us in the comments! And if you're looking for more uplifting news stories, check out our previous articles about Tank's Good News here and here!
#31
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#32
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#33
Image credits: EnzyHere
#34
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#35
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#36
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#37
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#38
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#39
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#40
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#41
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#42
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#43
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#44
Image credits: HoopMixOnly
#45
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#46
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#47
Image credits: chmuganda
#48
Image credits: tanksgoodnews
#49
Image credits: ByRobinEpley
#50
Image credits: hellollouix
