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#ImACybersmiler Saved My Life This Year

As I went in search of positive thoughts to post for the #ImACybersmiler program, I began to notice the positive. I began to think more positively about everything. And, in this new positive perspective, I found hope. The darkness evaporated around me and the good that had happened came back into view like an old friend coming to visit.

It’s not always easy to be positive. And, when life throws you curveballs, the effort made to find positivity is that much harder. But, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth the effort. Because, it is.

2017 was not an especially good year for me. In fact, it was downright excruciating. The year started with a death in my family, a stark reminder of how hard the month of January really is (also the same month as the death of my brother), and it just went downhill from there.

To say that I wasn’t expecting my immediate family to be scattered to the wind in all the effort it took to oversee estates and new properties, and the ensuing battles of homesickness and missing those face-to-face talks with my mother and father that I’d grown so accustomed to, is a vast understatement. But, we all had to do what we had to do to make the situation work, and that meant being away from those I love most in the world for weeks at a time.

I found myself feeling acutely alone. And, if not for my beautiful online sisters and those with whom I connect with every day, I would have felt it to my very soul. Months rolled by like this. Going to work. Coming home to silence. Posting online to drown out the awfulness that I couldn’t explain, not even those to whom I felt closest. Despair threatened at every turn and I felt myself tempted to just give in and let it take me down.

This doesn’t mean that there weren’t some good things in 2017, because there were some very good things. But the euphoria of those good things was mostly fleeting, and darkness regrouped to settle around me again. Like sand through the hourglass of life, the good slipped through my fingers and settled into a time gone without hope of return.

In the last quarter of 2017, Cybersmile announced their #ImACybersmiler program. It seemed simple enough, post positivity to counter the negativity online. And, I thought—hey, I could do that. I should do that. I must do that. So, I made a commitment to post a positive thought per day on my twitter account. Then, something remarkable happened – as I went in search of positive thoughts to post, I began to see the positive. I began to think more positively. About everything. And, in this new positive perspective, I found hope. The darkness evaporated around me and the good that had happened came back into view like an old friend coming to visit.

So, in November 2017, when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I sought the positive. This isn’t to say that I didn’t fall apart at first, because I did. But, then I met her doctors and received all the information about her condition. Her cancer is treatable and it’s a type of cancer that responds well to treatment. She has had her good days and her bad days so far, but she’s still here. And, my positive outlook is such that I will not grieve that which has not yet happened. I will take one day at a time with her and my dad. Take nothing for granted. And be thankful for every single second I can spend with them.

#ImACybersmiler saved my life this past year. I might have given up completely if not for Cybersmile and their amazing campaign. Thank you. There may be dark days ahead, but there’s a light inside me now and I’m going to let it shine!

Thank you Buffy for sharing your personal experience of how our Positive Activist Program has helped you. If you would like to start addressing the balance of negativity online, you can download our Positive Activist Kit and start making a difference right away! For more information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the following recommendations.

Are you a Cybersmile Positive Activist yet? Tweet us @CybersmileHQ and let us know!