I am a journalism student, which means I have to read a lot of news stories. Unfortunately, we all know there is way too much bad news in the world. It’s on our TVs and in our Facebook feed; we pretty much cannot escape it. And to be honest, the stuff gets depressing, man.

After the Parkland school shooting, I got down in the dumps. It really took a toll on me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how terrible the whole situation was. I think going on Twitter and Facebook was what really messed with my mind. My head was spinning after reading so many posts about gun control.

It took me a few days to get out of feeling like I was living in some kind of a nightmare simulation. But I realized that bad things do happen, they have always happened and they will continue to happen. What we all have the power to do is to be educated about the bad things, voice our opinions, and create change for the future.

And how do we do those things? With social media: the thing that I previously wanted to hide from. We are able to get so many different points of view on topics and hear from several different sources. We can voice our opinions freely and openly. Now, if anyone asked for those opinions or wants to hear them is a totally different story, but we have the ability and we shouldn’t take that for granted. And finally, when we stand up for what we believe in, change will come.

I am making it a point from now on to absorb only enough information to make myself educated about the topic of discussion, and that’s where it will end. I would literally go crazy if I hear or read all the perspectives available.

Humanity has come a long way, and believe it or not, we are in a pretty okay place right now. We are humans; we have hearts and we have an instinct to care for one another. I encourage you to think about all the good news stories you have heard about and keep seeking them out.

And if you have ever wished you could make a change in the world but feel like you can’t, you totally can. Spread positivity, compliment strangers, do kind things because happiness is contagious it can actually impact the world for the better.