10 Instagram accounts that are good for your Mental Health
Social Media is often a harmful place to be when you’re struggling with your mental health. A vast amount of the most popular accounts are all carefully curated to make out that their life is this perfect picture of happiness, and all that serves to do is shine a light on how imperfect your own is.
But what if you could carefully curate your own Instagram feed to improve your own mental health? You’d be amazed at how much difference it can make to your social media experience if you fill your time spent on it with a mix of positivity and happiness, as well as people who acknowledge that it is ok to not be ok.
Sanctus are a company whose long term vision is to make mental health as accessible and as “normal” as physical health, and to one day put mental health gyms on the high street. They are a business so of course advertise their own products and services, but they also provide lots of helpful tips and tricks through their upbeat and friendly Instagram account.
Spreading mental health awareness through the medium of digital doodles, The Doodle Project provides bitesize inspiration and affirmations to let you know that you are not alone. As an LGBTQ+ artist, you can expect this to be an account that is accepting of people from all walks of life.
The two guys behind All On The Board work on the London Underground, and they use the white boards that are intended to let people know about delays or other such service information to instead write poems to make people smile. Some are about mental health, some are about celebrities, and some are about pizza; whatever you’re into you’re sure to find something to make you smile here.
This one is aimed more at parents and teachers, but it’s so wholesome that it would make anyone smile. The aim of WholeHearted School Counseling is to provide resources to allow people to have open conversations with children about mental health and their emotions, and it does this through their friendly and relatable illustrations.
Charlie Mackesy reminds me a lot of A. A. Milne, and more specifically the very quotable nature of Winnie the Pooh’s simplistic wisdom. This self titled ‘grubby artist’ posts illustrations of a boy and a horse sharing loving words of encouragement with one another, and it’s hard not to feel inspired by each and every one.
Championing #BoringSelfCare, Hannah Daisy celebrates the small everyday victories that mental health sufferers achieve, such as remembering to take your medication or just successfully doing the food shop. She is also a frontline NHS mental health professional, so highlights a lot of different topics that could strike a chord with you.
This astounding account shares simple photos of the people of New York and tells intimate stories about their life. Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, but always inspirational and heartfelt. This account tells the everyday tales of people like you and I, and lets you know that we are never alone in our experiences.
The Latest Kate might be a little too cutesy for some, but the illustrations are so joyful that it’s hard to scroll past one without a smile forming. Each illustration comes armed with a quotable little pep talk to brighten your day.
The Happy Newspaper is just that; a real newspaper that is published every 3 months and which celebrates only positive news. Their Instagram is filled with bright colours, fun facts, and a whole heap of happiness.
What would be the point in social media if we didn’t have pictures of our beloved pets on it? Woof & Walls is a feed that only posts pictures of dogs in front of brightly painted walls. No catchy mantras or attempts to relate to your situation here, just the pure joy of dogs and art.
