With so many events canceled and the normal rigors of everyday life wiped out, the social media sphere has changed drastically. Despite heightened anxiety for many of us, it seems like the sentiment on social media does not mirror the daily challenges we are facing. Instead, Twitter and Instagram are now havens for people looking to escape, not the usual black holes of spite and drama.

I am seeing more posts about snack cakes and fewer posts promoting body shaming; more about feel-good movies, less about personal attacks; higher abundance of nostalgia, lower doses of cursing the current situation. It is a weird, but refreshing, vibe on social media right now.

The more relaxed attitude on social media has led to the rise of many fun engagement posts that allow us to focus on the lighter side of life while we battle a dark fact of life in the non-virtual world. I thought tonight I would recap five social media “challenges” that have brought a smile to my face.

You Can Only Keep Three – Whenever you place candy bars or Little Deb snacks on a tic-tac-toe board, you know you are going to have to make some tough decisions. I conducted my own draft (#3, #7. #1) and many of my followers did as well, leading me to question the sanity of some of my friends…because who really likes honey buns?

This generated a lot of debate!

Album Fun – Besides my blog, there isn’t much to post on my Facebook wall these days. I have no sports, my family is still in South Carolina, and I haven’t been in much of a selfie mood lately. Thankfully, I was challenged on Facebook to reveal the 10 albums that have influenced my taste in music over the years. Today was my fourth day of participation as I revealed the impact of U2’s Joshua Tree in my early teen years.

Over the course of 10 days I am listing some of the albums that had an influence on me.

This or That – Instagram Story is full of interactive content right now! A particular popular theme is “This or That.” You are given a list of dueling choices (such as restaurants, stores, music stars, etc.) and you indicate your top preference by placing an emoji or sticker by it. These get pretty specific, such as the bars that defined your time in college!

Who hasn’t done a This or That challenge on Instagram Story?

Tiger King Fun – I can’t stop laughing at people using Tiger King characters to describe cities, universities, teams, and more. The stars of the wildly popular Netflix documentary are all very colorful, making them prime candidates to portray the charisma of other things. The one done on Montana had me rolling on the floor.

You can explain a lot by using Tiger King characters.

Fill in the Blank – I have taken the bait on tweets that ask you to quote it and fill in the prompts with your own preferences. They are easy to do, the subjects are fun, and you can let your personality shine a bit. Hey, it was either this or the 10 Unpopular Opinions list!

I enjoyed the opportunity Twitter gave me to discuss Major League ballparks.

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Many times, social media can increase stress. However, currently, I think it can help relieve it. So what are you waiting for? Hop online and have some fun. Don’t Blink.