My favorite uplifting Instagram accounts for your mid-day Social Media scroll! Plus - the Intuitive Instagram Cleanse, have you done it? You should!

Social distancing has made us more reliant on social media than ever to stay connected. But how often do you scroll through your feed and feel less than inspired? These Instagram accounts are meant to hack a few moments of happiness into your day, through positivity and mindfulness. Be sure to read ‘til the end for the most important (in my opinion) tip of all, the “Intuitive Instagram Cleanse.”

1. Thought Leaders - Inspirational Speakers are great to follow on Instagram because their accounts are packed full of words of wisdom and tidbits that will add mindfulness to your feed.  Who inspires you?  For me that someone is Oprah - @oprah - She is positive, motivational, and a force for good, but the goal here is to pick someone that inspires you, or maybe a few people.  More of my favorites include:

• Brene Brown - @brenebrown - if you are ready to dig deep and learn more about yourself.

• Deepak Chopra - @deepakchopra - for resources to strengthen your mind-body connection.

• Dr. Wayne Dyer - @drwaynedyer - this page dedicated to Dr. Dyer shares his inspirational quotes and philosophies.

• Morgan Harper Nichols - @morganharpernichols - an artist and poet that is sure to inspire.

2. Mindfulness Resources - Many popular mindfulness websites, apps and magazines have a presence on Instagram and they often share their more popular articles and resources through their IG feed to entice scrollers to connect with them. I love seeing bits of content, they are usually the perfect size to easily digest. There are so many excellent mindfulness resources online, but the accounts that I think really excel at sharing on IG are these:

• Mindful Magazine - @mindfulmagazine - posts that encourage mindfulness practices involving breathing exercises and acts of kindness.

• Thrive Global - @thrive - Career and lifestyle related posts aimed at reducing stress and burnout.

• Calm - @calm - you may already be familiar with the meditation app “Calm” but did you know they have an instagram account as well? Their feed is chalked full of quotes to promote relaxation and mindfulness exercises you can incorporate into your day.

• My Self Love Supply - @myselflovesupply - Positive quotes delivered daily that encourage self love and self care, and a few stress management tips added to the mix for good measure.

3. Fill your Feed with Resources - with so much “fake news” in circulation and mixed messaging about what’s happening in the world around us, our mind can feel very convoluted. Get grounded by filling your feed with fact based resources. Educational resources are an easy way to do this. Some of my favorites are:

• Nobel Prize - @nobelprize_org - to learn about Nobel Prizes and Laureates

• History - @history - as their account says, “Stories from the past that help you make sense of the present.”

• Animal Planet - @animalplanet - learning about all of the living creatures that make up our planet is a great reminder that the world doesn’t revolve around us.

• NPR - @npr - for a wide brush stroke of informational topics,

4. Travel Accounts - Stuck indoors? Get outside of yourself through a global perspective, fantasize about your next vacation, and start creating a list of travel goals by following travel-related IG accounts. I love all travel related feeds for the reasons listed above and there are plenty to choose from on Instagram, if you are a travel junkie, you’ll love:

• National Geographic Travel - @natgeotravel - travel photography at it’s finest.

• Travel + Leisure - @travelandleisure - for the luxurious side of travel.

• Lonely Planet - @lonelyplanet - for the explorer at heart.

5. Get Creative - Lastly, let creativity soar and get inspired with accounts that showcase art, music, and any creative outlets you enjoy. A good place to start is with these:

• The Louvre - @museelouvre - for the ultimate in art and culture.

• The Royal Opera and Royal Ballet - @royaloperahouse - sharing live streams of incredible performances to inspire your own creativity.

• Grammy Museum - @grammymuseum - The Grammy Museum will remind you of all the great bands and songs that have inspired your own story, plus there’s a little history thrown in as well.

TAKEAWAY

Sure it would be nice to get outside or practice meditation or get some exercise on your lunch break, but what about those times during the day when you only have a few minutes, but you NEED a mental break from work? And let’s be honest, right now, a lot of us are spending WAY more time at home. Well, that is where social media comes in for so many people. We hop on our phone, scroll through our feeds and see what’s going on in the world. BUT what we see doesn’t always promote a happy mental outlook. Incorporating accounts similar to the ones listed above is a great way to inject a bit of positivity and mindfulness into your day.

Lastly, I also recommend doing an Intuitive Instagram cleanse.

Are the accounts you currently follow making you happy? Are they reflective of the life you feel called to lead? Or are they negative and bringing your mood down? Look through who you are following and click “unfollow” on any accounts that don’t produce content that’s aligned with how you want to feel when you scroll. You’ll be glad you did.

• TIP: If you aren’t sure about an account, you should probably unfollow, because it will just dilute your feed with ho-hum content.

If you have an account you would like to share with other Happy Hacks readers, be sure to drop the suggestion below in the comments!