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The holidays are long behind us, and we’ve been back to the grind for a couple of weeks now. And while it might be nice to be back to your routine, you might also be stressed, exhausted and on the brink of burnout yet again. So if you’re looking for a few minutes to rest your mind and simply get a few giggles in today, you’ve come to the right place.

Below, you’ll find a healthy dose of memes to help you relax, pandas. We’ve taken a trip to the Brainy Memes Facebook page and gathered some of our favorite posts, but don’t worry, you won’t have to use your brain to enjoy them. Have fun scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the ones that bring a smile to your face!

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

There’s definitely no shortage of hilarious meme accounts on the internet, and for that, we’re thankful! And today, the meme page we’re happy to celebrate is Brainy Memes. This Facebook group has been around since October 2018 and has amassed an impressive 280k members since its creation.

With a small team of only one administrator, this group has managed to appeal to hundreds of thousands through one simple goal: “Make sad people smile with your memes.” Clearly, the community has had success, as 119 new members have joined in the last week. And the group relies on only a few rules: no hate speech or bullying; no promotions or spam; and respect everyone’s privacy.

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Image credits: Azhaya Lax

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

While an apple a day keeps the doctor away, we’re convinced that a few memes a day might have the same effect (at least for your mental health). According to Statista, over half of the population under the age of 45 reports that they experience stress, and between 38 to 45% of those between the ages of 45 to 64 say they do too. We all know stress isn’t beneficial for our health, so we’ve got to find ways to manage and mitigate it.

Thankfully, internet memes, as silly as they may seem, can help to do the trick. One 2021 study found that during the pandemic, Covid related memes actually helped some individuals cope with their stress. “Viewing memes was also associated with higher levels of self-reported humor and increased positive feelings compared with non-meme content on social media,” Everyday Health reports.

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

As far as what’s so therapeutic about viewing silly little memes, Jessica Myrick, PhD, told Everyday Health, “I think it’s just a way for us to be creative and to connect with other people by sharing our experience, and then knowing we’re not alone by seeing ‘Okay, other people are struggling with this during the pandemic.’”

She also noted that sharing these photos can help us find a community of like-minded people. “One of the main purposes of experiencing positive emotions is to build social capital, to motivate us to want to connect to other people and to be in groups of people, so positive emotions are really important for building a community. That’s how we connect with each other,” Myrick says.

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Image credits: Nino Brown

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

Memes can also help us breach difficult topics in a more lighthearted way. It might be hard to start a conversation with a friend or family member about your mental health, but if you have a meme to break the ice, you might feel more comfortable after the two of you have shared a laugh. Everyday Health notes that memes can be a great coping mechanism, and they can make heavy conversations much easier to bear.

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Rudy Levy

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

If you have a few favorite memes that you pass along to friends or family members often, you probably don’t need any explanation for why we love them so much. But if you would like to delve into why memes are so popular, lucky for us, Make Us Of already has. First, they note that memes are a cultural information exchange. We make them about holidays, songs that are trending, the weather we’re experiencing and more. They’re a great and easy way to bond with others who have the same experiences or who have similar beliefs.

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Jerrhon Evangelista

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

As we’ve already mentioned, memes are also a great way to cope with stress or anxiety. They make it easier to discuss difficult topics, and they can be a reminder that we’re all experiencing the same things, even if we feel alone and isolated at times. On the other hand, memes can provide a different perspective on stressful situations, Make Use Of notes. If you’re caught up in only looking at the dark side of a certain topic or experience, a meme can help you view the situation with a fresher and funnier point of view.

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

Memes are also great for the simple reason that they’re so shareable. We can send them to friends in seconds, share them in the family group chat to lighten the mood and post them online to bond with those who interact with the pic. While we can always argue that we should be having more real life connections these days, the fact is that many of us spend a lot of time online. And if sending a meme to a friend makes you smile and reminds you to check in with them, I see that as a positive thing!

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Image credits: Andrei Geneses

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

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Image credits: Bok Oretta

We hope you’re enjoying this little break from your regularly scheduled programming to enjoy some memes, pandas! Keep upvoting the pics that you find particularly hilarious or relatable, and let us know in the comments which posts you’d like to pass along to your friends. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more pics from Brainy Memes, you can find Bored Panda’s last article featuring the group right here!