Who doesn’t love an inspirational Instagram post?
I’m often told I need to cut back on my ‘gram time; that I’m too reliant on social media and should probably go and live in the ‘real world’ (what even is that?) for awhile. I get it. It can be draining and detrimental to have our eyes trained on a screen at every moment; buying into celebrity culture and holding ourselves to an unrealistic ‘influencer’ standard.
But for me, because Instagram is so visual, it’s a source of creative revelation and motivation; I enjoy the spiralling rabbit hole of sourcing new artists, commentators, illustrators and like-minded souls. Over the last few years, part of this spiral has included falling in love with accounts of those who are using their artistic flair and creativity to speak openly about areas that oftentimes seem tough to talk about: body acceptance, anxiety & depression, living with disorders and chronic illness, gender, sexuality and general self care.
When the outside world sometimes feels a little too much and you need some supportive TLC from the online community, check out some of these awesome ladies; they are living the good and the bad days just like you, embracing their true selves and sharing their experiences so that you always know: you’re never alone.
We stumbled across Dina Rodriguez quite recently and it took us about 2.5 seconds to see how truly awesome she is! With a neat posting combination of self love, mental health and cannabis culture, effervescent Dina comes at you with some punchy affirmations to live by. She has turned some of her stunning illustrations into beautiful products (prints, t-shirts, mugs, etc.) and you will not be able to get by without them – trust us! We just love: ‘If I have to fake smile, I’m not going!’ Sounds good to us!
Our fave tee from Dina Rodriguez: ‘Support Your Local Curvy Girls’!
Yasssss Kween!!
Ella has experienced panic attacks and anxiety since the 3rd grade and for a long time she struggled with how to process this. Through her BA in Psychology and time in therapy, she grew stronger; learning how to live with anxiety and take proper care of her sensitive system. She believes this sensitivity is a superpower which helps “brings empathy, kindness, and creativity to a world so desperately in need.” Her posts swing between her own personal thoughts and self-care illustrations, quotes and memes.
Hannah Daisy has been on our ‘following’ list for a long time, before Relatable was even a twinkle in our eyes! Hailing from London in the UK, Daisy uses her unique artistry to bring awareness to mental health issues and chronic illness. She coined the hashtag, #boringselfcare as a way to showcase the inherent difficulties in looking after yourself when struggling with any form of illness; small everyday activities – from brushing your hair to remembering to get a pap smear to changing your bed sheets – all the little things that often seem insurmountable to people who are struggling. Beyond the Boring Self Care project, Daisy’s also fighting the good fight for intersectional feminism, the queer community, and sex workers.
Chances are, if you’re not new to the ‘self-care’ explosion on social media, you’re already familiar with Alison Rachel’s Instagram account (559k followers!), Recipes For Self Love. Originally from Cape Town in South Africa, Rachel now lives in Amsterdam creating beautiful illustrations and zines all centred around self compassion, confidence and authenticity. The RFSL Instagram account has now been turned into a book, published globally in April of this year, with Rachel’s empowering imagery now in paper form. Recipes For Self Love: How To Feel Good In A Patriarchal World is a powerful reminder of how to ensure you are taking care of yourself on the daily. A must in your feed and now on your shelf!
It would be remiss of us to not include the wonderful Alexandra Elle as part of our self-care queens discussion. Elle is an author and wellness consultant from Washington DC and her mission is to “build community and self-care practices through literature and language.” She has authored 3 books (Words From A Wanderer, Love In My Language and Neon Soul), hosts the Hey, Girl podcast and continues to be a daily inspiration on the ‘gram. Her wonderfully written post-it notes are a favourite of ours, inspiring self compassion and regular affirmations.
