I Created a “Mindful” Instagram Account, and It Changed the Way I See Social Media
By now, we’ve all heard that social media can take a toll on your mental health, and for me, that’s certainly been true. The more I scroll, the more I compare myself to others, thinking about what I don’t have, what I don’t look like, and what I’m not doing, instead of all I have to be grateful for. I’ve tried everything to mitigate these negative feelings online. Then, finally, after many failed attempts at a social media cleanse, I decided to create a mindful Instagram account.
That wasn’t the idea at first. Instead, I tried deleting social media altogether — but while this did help me in many ways, I often found myself missing the influencers and accounts that genuinely motivated and inspired me. So, I downloaded the apps again, and this time I was determined to unfollow any accounts that made me feel bad about myself. That ended up being a bit more unrealistic than I expected, so I thought, Why not just start fresh? That’s when my mindful Instagram account was born, and it’s been so beneficial.
So, what exactly is a mindful Instagram account? For me personally, this account is a “safe space.” It’s a place I can go to be inspired to take action to be the best version of myself. I only follow people whose posts actually help me become a better person every day. For me, this means meditation coaches, positive affirmation accounts, healthy recipe bloggers, favorite podcasts, and more.