Inspiring & Thought-Provoking Lessons I Learned on Instagram This Week

With final exams coming up, a global pandemic, freezing temperatures on the East Coast, and 5:00 pm resembling the darkness of midnight, it can be easy to feel stressed and sad.

So, of course, I turned to the app that has been keeping us scrolling for months: Instagram.

What I’ve realized is that social media is essentially a double-edge sword. On the one hand, it’s a powerful resource to connect and gain inspiration, entertainment, and valuable information. However, social media can also negatively impact our mental health. The way I allow myself to experience more of the former is by carefully curating a feed of “positive influencers”, by following accounts that share content around personal development, mental health, and self love.

I’ve been feeling so inspired by these words of wisdom and positive affirmations that I couldn’t help but share the goodness. Big shoutout to accounts like @vibesofablackgirl, @werenotreallystrangers, @iamdaliasmith, @browngirltherapy, @kristisoomer, @iampilartucker, @wetheurban, and more!

• Don’t allow your lack of confidence to block your destiny, because your name is being mentioned in rooms you haven’t entered yet
• Believe in yourself, hype yourself up, be bold and speak with confidence when talking about your talents, skills, and abilities. You are the main character.
• Surround yourself with women who inspire and support you. Women who aren’t afraid to tell you when you’re wrong.
• Everything you want in life is attainable. Just because someone else has done it before doesn’t mean you can’t do it too. There is room for everyone at the table.
• Invest in yourself physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially because you are the prize and deserve all the good things life has to offer.
• Avoid the temptation to make choices that are familiar but no longer serve you.
• Your mind, body, and soul are sacred. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
• Perform acts of kindness for yourself and others.
• Rejection can be a pathway to self-validation. Believing in yourself is a superpower.
• You are not your parents. Their trauma is not yours to internalize and carry.
• Your pain is important and valid even when the adults around you don’t understand.
• Hey, it wasn’t the trauma that made you stronger, kinder, and more empathetic. It’s how you handled it. That credit is yours.
• The man you choose to be your partner affects everything in your life: your mental health, your peace of mind, your love inside you, your happiness, how you get through tragedies, your successes, how your children will be raised and view life in adulthood, and much more.
• Stop being so hard on yourself. You’re doing great.
• Say exactly what you mean.
• Fall in love with the process. It’s about the journey, not the destination.
• Do what brings you joy. God did not intend for you to just be here. He intended for you to live life abundantly.
• Your greatest competitive advantage is you. Keep building.
• Imagine where you’ll be 12 months from now. Keep going. It will all be worth it.
• Really write down what matters to you and what kind of life you want so that when opportunities come to you that aren’t aligned with that list, you know what to say. Sure, you’ll get paid, but is it worth it?

Leave a comment below: Which one of these resonated with you the most?