I’m probably not the only one who spends time on Instagram to get inspired/entertained, have real conversations like-minded people, and share thoughts, experiences and passions with the community.
Recently, Instagram was no longer the place where I could do those things.
That’s why I decided to do a big clean up on my Instagram feed. I unfollowed a bunch of accounts, which were impacting me negatively and followed more accounts that would brighten my day and inspire me. Doing that has improved how I feel about being on social media tremendously.
Lots of the posts I saw on my feed earlier were not inspiring, informing or uplifting, and to me that’s what social media is supposed to do for us. I was seeing too many posts that were curated – only showing off and glorifying the end results (like the perfect advanced yoga pose, the perfect home, the perfect …) and not sharing the process and all of the work and the ups and downs that paved the way to getting there.
Don’t get me wrong I use my instagram page as kind of a highlight reel too sometimes. I love to share the things I’m proud of on my page, like a visual journal of certain memories I want to remember. But my goal is to always stay authentic and talk about the struggles and the natural ups AND downs of my yoga practice and my life too.
What do you want social media to do for you?
I think we love to see the curated, aspirational stuff sometimes because it reminds us of what we dream of achieving. But I think we sometimes forget to take what we see with a grain of salt. The pictures we see could be highly edited (or a screenshot of a handstand that was never really balanced in real life) and it could have taken hours to set up.
I think a side effect of seeing all of the end results glorified and highlighted on instagram is that we want to get to those results, like NOW, and skip the foundational work that was put in to get there. Whether it be advancing our yoga practice as quickly as possible to achieve the full variation of a picturesque yoga pose, or lose lots of weight overnight, or learn to play a super technical song on the guitar before we can play a simple one. Whatever it might be, seeing too many end results and not the process to getting there makes us forget all the work that went into it behind the scenes.
Working on getting to the end goal before laying the foundation is unproductive at best, and can make us forget ourselves and why we’re even spending time doing the thing in the first place, at worst. Chasing the end results might create fleeting moments of happiness when we get to our goals but finding joy in the process will create daily and lasting happiness in our lives.
In my instagram feed sweep I unfollowed all of the accounts that felt inauthentic, made me feel like I was living a life that is less than, or made me feel like I needed more clothes/money/you name it to be happy.
I also started following accounts that would help me remember to stay intentional, aware of my own well-being, and grateful for the life I already lead.
Below are some accounts that do exactly that for me. I hope some of them will bring more joy and self-care to your time on Instagram too!
1 – @heyamberrae
Amber Rae is a bestselling author, artist & speaker. She shares simple tips on all things feelings, well-being & self-discovery. All her posts are beautifully created and will add a little more self-love, empowerment & joy to your day.
2 – @breakingtaboo
Breaking Taboo is an account dedicated to promoting mental health awareness & suicide prevention. You will find anything from advice on how to deal with anxiety to little inspirational quotes to spark self-compassion.
3 – @emilyonlife
Emily McDowell is an illustrator and a speaker. She shares empowering advice on setting boundaries, staying positive and overcoming challenges.
4 – @positivelypresent
Dani DiPirro is an artist and an author who creates beautiful & inspirational artwork. He talks about positivity, building good habits, and generally shares uplifting & encouraging content.
5 – @the.holistic.psychologist
Dr. Nicole LePera is a psychologist who’s goal is to teach others to heal and consciously create a new version of themselves. She shares very insightful and informational content on leading a conscious life, how to become more self aware, building healthy relationships (and letting go the ones that are unhealthy), and so much more good stuff.
6 – @myselflovesupply
My self-love supply is an account dedicated to sharing self-love tips, self-care routines, and healthy living inspiration. They share cute self-love related illustrations and quotes to inspire self-compassion and self-love.
7 – @holisticallygrace
Maria Sosa is a therapist and holistic health coach. Her goal is to redefine “healthy” (to include both mind+body) and she shares intuitive health advice for everyBODY. She puts emphasis on mental health and how we can respect our own needs + boundaries and listen to our intuition.
8 – @jencarrington_
Jen Carrington is a big-hearted coach for creative business owners, a writer and a podcaster. She teaches people to start or grow their own business in a slow and sustainable way with room to be imperfectly human. She shares tips and advice on how to build a better day, create space for a joyful life alongside our work, whilst still taking steps to achieve our dreams and make an impact.
9 – @lisaoliveratherapy
Lisa Olivera is a writer and a therapist. She writes about being human and how to connect, grow, and learn. Her posts are like little permission slips that allow us to accept ourselves, just as imperfect as we are.
10 – @anxiety_wellbeing
Anxiety Wellbeing is an account dedicated to anxiety and well-being. They share cute artwork and little snippets of text on anxiety relief, self-love, positive and sustainable mindset, and the likes.
11 – @journey_to_wellness_
Journey to Wellness shares super cute and inspiring cartoons & illustrations about mental health & wellbeing. Anything from meditations, mantras, and affirmations, to mindset shifts for a more joyful and self-compassionate life.
12 – @morganharpernichols
Morgan Harper Nichols makes beautiful artwork inspired by stories and topics her followers share with her. She creates illustrations of anything from inspiring & empowering quotes, self-compassion tips, to little philosophical stories.
13 – @sitwithsharon
@sitwithsharon is run by Sharon Peykar, who is a therapist and life coach. She shares valuable tips and information on building healthy relationships with family, partners, friends, and oneself, reflections and affirmations to bring more joy and self-compassion into our daily life, and so much more.
I hope you enjoyed this post. I would love to use this page as a place to share our favourite instagram accounts we follow. Please leave a comment below and share an Instagram account that brings more joy/fun/empowerment/self-awareness to your day!
This is awwwwesome! Thank you for creating this! It is exactly what I am looking for I want to develop my wellness even further. To become the most kindest and humblest human beings. No more anger nor negativity. I’d never stop trying my best on this planet. Again thank you! I really appreciate it & grateful to you. ☺️