The need to take care of your mental health has never been more critical, with WHO reporting a 25 per cent increase in anxiety and depression worldwide after the COVID-19 pandemic. World Mental Health Day is celebrated on the 10th of October every year. The day’s objective is to raise awareness around mental health issues and promote activities that champion mental health. The effects of the pandemic still linger, and it is beneficial to have people to guide you into positivity when you are stuck in an overthinking rut.
In today’s interconnected world, people spend a considerable amount of time on social media. It is how individuals communicate amongst themselves and express their feelings and emotions. Many social media accounts offer certified advice, share personal stories, and promote mental wellness. If your feed needs a dose of good content, giving these profiles, a follow won’t hurt!
Mental health advocates to follow in 2022
From body positivity to grief and depression, many topics are being discussed by influencers on social platforms. Whether they draw from years of training or personal experience, it is enlightening and reassuring to go through their content. Here are 10 mental health advocates on social media that you should check out.
Matthias James Barker
A psychotherapist by profession, Matthias James Barker is a reliable source of information on mental health topics. He posts videos with meaningful content that help viewers introspect and understand themselves and their relationships better. He has over 339K followers on Instagram and 2.6M on TikTok, making him a well-known influencer. As his Instagram bio states, Matthias focuses on “moving towards what’s meaningful despite hardship.”
Jessica Clemons
Also known by her Instagram handle @askdrjess, Jessica Clemons is a board-certified psychiatrist. She uses her platform to encourage conversations on mental health and wellbeing. Jessica creates content that urges her followers to be well-connected with their minds and selves. For example, her posts probe followers to think about whether it is time for a mental health check-in. Clemons is based in NYC but has a following from different parts of the world.
Divija Bhasin
Divija is a mental health advocate who can be seen as “your friendly neighbourhood therapist”. She is a qualified therapist who offers sessions through her venture, the friendly couch. Her content is informative and well-curated to help her audience. Divija is fun and all about good vibes. She’s the perfect person to brighten your feed with positive and detailed content.
Yolo Akili
Akili is the founder and the executive director of the NGO BEAM (Black Emotional & Mental Health Collective). His content focuses on the importance of embracing yourself the way you are and doing things to better your mental wellbeing. Akili’s content is also thought-provoking, emphasising the black community’s mental struggle. BEAM aims to create “a world where there are no barriers to Black healing.”
Shibili Suhanah
Better known by her Instagram handle, Sooperwomeen, Suhanah is a psychologist who has grown an online community prioritising mental health and wellbeing. She talks about multiple different topics, including sex education and menstrual education. Her profile is a treasure of great content that one can go through as a guide. Check her out on Instagram to know what we are talking about.
Christina Wolfgram
Christina is a sit-down comedian who uses comedy to talk about mental health. Her content is fun and exciting, making her one of the easiest follow on this list. Her podcast, Sobcast, is all about her trying to figure out what mental health even means. As her podcast description goes, “If you’ve ever wanted a crying buddy, Christina is your new best friend.” Wolfgram is a great person to follow if you are looking for some good content to boost your mental health. Her podcast is available on Apple Podcasts.
Courtney Tracy
Courtney Tracy is an award-winning therapist, creator and host. She creates content that helps individuals better understand mental health and how to take care of themselves. Her initiative, EXIST Behavioral Health, will be launched in 2023 as a way for her to contribute more to society. Mental health is an essential aspect of life for Courtney, and she works to improve it for others as well.
Chinae Alexander
Chinae is the social media influencer you can go to for advice regarding “Life Advice + Body Confidence + Mental Health + Wellness & Personal Style”. She has over 159K followers on Instagram and is constantly putting out content on her Instagram. She is also the founder of Press Send Podcast: “A podcast where you share fears, spill guts, and ask the questions on your mind. Then we dish out our best advice.”
Garden Marcus
Garden Marcus co-founded the health and wellness website Choice Forward. The keen gardener works to empower and enrich people through his content. Marcus is the person to follow if your feed is missing a tinge of green. He is also the author of the book “How to grow”.
Hannah Daisy
An artist/illustrator and occupational therapist, Hannah Daisy has a different approach to creating mental health content. She creates art that conveys the messages she wishes to communicate. Her followers find it easy and comfortable to go through the content she posts. Bringing in the light-heartedness of illustrations to heavy and emotional topics encourages viewers to interact more with the content without making the situation uneasy. Her art and her heart, they succeed in expressing beautiful emotions.
To sustain yourself and those around you, it is vital to put your mental well-being first at every stage of life. As somebody wise once said, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
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