Need a Mental Health Pick Me Up During the Holidays? These 11 Latina-Owned Instagram Accounts Got Your Back
Images courtesy: @DecolonizingTherapy, @MarcelaIlustra/Instagram
The Holiday Blues are real. While we’re all supposed to be enjoying the most wonderful time of the year, the demands of family, money and time can lead many of us to feel overwhelmed, stressed and sad. In fact, the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 64% of people with an existing mental illness say that the holidays make their condition worse.
There are a million things that can prompt the Holiday Blues, but it’s often feeling triggered by family members, feeling sad that another year has passed and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of things you have to get done (shopping, parties, wrapping, cooking, etc). While the holidays are meant to be a time to rejoice and bond with friends and family, you can end up feeling more isolated than ever.
Although Instagram gets a bad rap (and rightfully so) for the negative impact it can have on someone’s mental health, there is a thriving mental-health community on the social media platform that can make you feel less alone when you’re struggling. And while spaces that discuss mental health can often feel exclusionary to POC, the beauty of Instagram is that its audience is large and diverse enough that every subgroup has the luxury of having its own community.
This holiday season, find some refuge in these Instagram accounts dedicated to mental health. Many of them are specifically targeted to Latinos and/or people of color. Take a look below!
1.@TherapyForLatinx
Therapy for Latinx was founded by Brandie Carlos as a hub for mental health resources for Latinos. The account offers information, insights and plenty of memes to make you feel seen.
2. @Dr.Marielbuque
Dr. Mariel Buqué bills herself as a “holistic psychologist, Intergenerational Trauma expert, and sound bath meditation healer.” The Dominican-American doctor’s IG feed is filled with aesthetically pleasing mental health tips and highly engaging, educational Spanglish videos.
3. Melanin & Mental Health®️
This popular account is focused on destigmatizing the discussion of mental health issues in Black and Latinx communities. They work to encourage more POC both to go to therapy and to become therapists themselves.
4. @DecolonizingTherapy
@DecolonizingTherapy recognizes that (sometimes unconscious) racialized, generational trauma can inform our negative beliefs and thought patterns. Instead of ignoring this part of POC’s lives, Dr. Jennifer Mullan believes in addressing the problem head on through a practice of “historical healing.”
5. @Millennial.Therapist
This account is geared specifically towards the unique mental health issues that millennials face. Their highly-shareable posts tackle topics like boundaries, self-love and people-pleasing.
6. @MarcelaIlustra
Brazilian illustrator Marcela Sabiá’s Instagram account focuses on body positivity and body acceptance. Through her lush illustrations, she promotes self-love and celebrates the diversity of human bodies. She also shares tidbits of her own mental health journey so her followers feel less alone.
7. @PadreIslandCounseling
Padre Island Counseling is an Instagram account full of beautiful, eye-catching posts that you’re sure to want to repost, like and share. The account is female and Latinx run and is mostly full of mental-health reminders and comforting affirmations.
8. @TheMiamiTherapist
Latina couples counselor Genesis Games runs this super-scrollable account that shares invaluable information on romantic relationships, familial relationships and generational trauma. As a Latina herself, many of Games’ posts address the unique experiences of Latino Americans.
9. @Healing_and_Growth
@Healing_and_Growth is a mental health IG account run by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Genesis Espinoza. Her account tackles topical issues like the pandemic, immigration and holiday stress.
10. @JosieRosarioNYC
Dominicana Josie Rosario bills herself as bruja, entrepreneur and licensed therapist. Through her beautiful pastel IG posts, she gives mental health advice through a “anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, anti-Black racism lens.”
11. @BrownGirlTherapy
@BrownGirlTherapy is an IG account dedicated to children and immigrants, and often addresses the unique experiences that children of immigrants go through including imposter syndrome, denial and shame. Through the account, creator Sahaj Kaur Kohli promotes therapy, biculturalism and social justice.
