Follow These 13 Mental Health Advocates for a Healthier, Happier Feed
It can be hard to know where to turn when you are having a mental health problem.
Everyone deserves to feel supported and listened to when life feels too much.
It is important to make sure you are feeding your mind with positive messages all the time.
There are many mental health experts who are known for sharing their wisdom and sharing their own mental health challenges on social media.
It is reassuring to know that you can open an app and connect with someone who may relate to what you are going through, even if social media support is never going to replace mental health care from a professional.
The individuals below are not just influential. They are mental health advocates in the truest sense of the word, and they are offering some of the most authentic, meaningful, supportive content out there.
Kelly Uchima (@_kellyu) is a content creator who uses her platform to discuss body confidence, self-love, and sobriety. By sharing her experiences, Kelly hopes others may feel less alone.
One of the biggest messages she offers online is one of shared experience: She wants you to know that it’s not just you who thinks and feels the way you do. Kelly’s overarching message: No matter what baggage you have, you can heal your trauma and move forward.
Kelly had 6 years of therapy, a transformative experience that helped her overcome eating disorders and depression, confront family trauma, and leave a toxic relationship. On her popular “Therapy Thursday” podcast, she’s helping others do the same.
Kelly shares the lessons she has learned on her own therapy journey and how you can implement them in your own life.
From navigating office politics to dealing with work-related burnout, the working world can take a toll on your mental health. IT consultant and influencer Laura Whaley (@loewhaley) is here to help you manage it.
Sharing funny and relatable videos on her Instagram and TikTok profiles, Laura is the woman behind the popular “Work Bestie” series, a collection of short videos where she explains how to set boundaries with your bosses and colleagues without coming across as rude or unprofessional.
In her humorous posts, Laura also makes light of common workplace anxieties, like returning to work after time off and managing imposter syndrome.
She creates content about toxic workplace. Her takes may help you laugh at the perils and pitfalls of the professional world.
Yolo (@yoloakili) is an award-winning writer, healing justice worker, and founder and executive director of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective), a movement that aims to make therapy and health care accessible to the Black community.
He talks about the importance of community and having a support network that fosters healing.
He also offers mental health support to people who are LGBTQIA+ and recently appeared on the “We Are Man Enough” podcast. In the show, he spoke about masculinity and mental health, as well as body image and sexual assault.
Yolo often explores how people can heal trauma and overcome mental health issues at their own pace.
He talks about giving himself permission to feel and understand that emotions can co-exist.
TV personality and former professional athlete Colton Underwood (@coltonunderwood) talks openly about his challenges with mental health on Instagram and documents his journey to self-acceptance with 2 million followers.
He talks about the importance of checking in on friends and family and the relationship between faith and mental health.
After he confirmed he was gay, he sought support online and shared his journey to self-acceptance with his followers.
“The Pocket Friends NFT collection was created to promote children’s mental health and emotional development.”
He also stars in the Netflix documentary Coming Out Colton, where he shares the challenges and triumphs of coming out to his loved ones.
Psychotherapist Courtney Tracy (@the.truth.doctor) calls herself a “no BS therapist” and is known for sharing straight-forward yet compassionate mental health advice on her Instagram, podcast, and YouTube show.
On the “Human First” podcast, Courtney talks with clinical experts, doctors, and survivors, and she explores how people can honor their inner world and tend to their own needs first.
She looks at mental health through a personal and professional lens and offers key takeaways on how people can mind their mental well-being.
On her YouTube channel, Courtney offers a therapist’s take on pop culture moments, from reactions to trending films and TV shows to viral celebrity moments making the news.
On Instagram, she explores romantic relationships, living with borderline personality disorder, managing anxiety, and more.
Whether you’re single, dating, or married, romantic relationships play a major role on health and well-being.
As a relationship expert and certified sex therapist, Todd Baratz (@yourdiagnonsense) offers professional advice on navigating your love life and your mental health.
He explains how people can unlearn their childhood habits by learning from their mistakes.
He also looks closely at toxic dating behaviors like ghosting, withdrawing, and having unrealistic expectations.
Todd looks at how freeing yourself can lead to deeper connections.
Loving the skin you’re in can be easier said than done. Laura Girard (@laura.girard) is an online fitness coach who advocates for body neutrality, or embracing and accepting yourself even if you don’t love your body.
On her Instagram account, she demystifies fitness myths and encourages her followers to take a gentler approach to health and fitness by listening to what their body needs.
Her at-home workout videos allow people of all fitness levels to get moving. Most importantly, they aren’t about hitting a number on the scale or fitting into a certain dress size. They’re designed to help you cultivate a loving and respectful relationship with your body.
Alongside her fitness content, Laura also shares tips for dealing with bad days, navigating grief, and practicing self-compassion.
She encourages her followers to use the phrase “this is what works for me right now”, with the understanding that needs can change and aren\’t one-size-fits-all.
You’ll also find straight-forward, unconventional advice on moving on after a breakup, enhancing physical intimacy, and communicating with your significant other.
Todd wrote a post titled “things to stop expecting from sex.” He encourages readers to shake off their expectations and heal their sexual hang-ups.
Chinae Alexander (@chinaealexander) is a Brooklyn-based influencer and the woman behind Press Send, a podcast dedicated to open and honest mental health conversations.
Chinae and her guests talk about various topics, from grief and rediscovering yourself after a breakup to building career confidence and cultivating self-worth.
Chinae talks about how she has done mental and emotional work to love her body and how her followers can do the same.
“She writes that confidence in ourselves and the bodies we exist in isn’t always positive. It is choosing moment to moment that we have the freedom to step out in fear and make small choices to accept and dignify how we exist.”
Meanwhile, on her Instagram profile, Chinae talks openly about how anxiety medication and talk therapy have helped her feel like herself again. She’s fighting to end the stigma that surrounds getting help.
Marcus (@garden_marcus) is the founder of Choice Forward, a wellness company that aims to empower people through workshops, presentations, and life coaching. He encourages his followers to make productive choices that support their growth and promote progress in their lives.
On his social media accounts, you’ll find tips for achieving your goals, including appreciating every stage of the process, taking your time, and taking note of how you feel.
Marcus uses plants as an analogy for personal growth. He says that people need lots of food and support to grow and flourish, and that they function best with a supportive daily routine.
His mental health routine includes getting plenty of fresh air, maintaining a balanced diet, and writing.
Marcus recently released a self-help book titled “How To Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself” where he offers advice on tending to your mental health.
Megan Devine (@refugeingrief) is a psychotherapist and the founder of Refuge In Grief, a platform dedicated to providing real, practical, empathetic support for those coping with grief.
Megan lost her husband, Matt, in 2009, and was inspired to create the platform. Megan found it difficult to get the support she needed after her loss.
She challenges well-meaning advice and misinformation about grief on her social channels.
Megan teaches her followers how to survive grief and reminds them that it is ok to grieve.
She shows how grief can be normalized in her #PefectlyNormal series.
Justin Baldoni (@justinbaldoni) is an actor and filmmaker who uses his social media platform to field discussions about masculinity and mental health.
He hosts the “Man Enough” podcast, which looks at what it means to be a man in today’s world and partnered with Healthline on No More Silence, a four-part video series highlighting men’s health.
Liz Plank and Jamey Heath are two high profile guests who he interviews about how messages surrounding masculinity affect male mental health.
Justin looks at how these messages negatively affect both men and women and have an adverse effect on topics, such as body image, fatherhood, sex, success, relationships, and more. He also released a book titled “Man Enough,” where he details his own hardships with masculinity.
His content reminds you that you are enough. It can help you deepen your connection with yourself and others.
You might recognize Torrey (@torreydevitto) from her acting career. She’s had roles in “Pretty Little Liars,” “One Tree Hill,” and “The Vampire Diaries,” to name a few.
In response to the recent challenges to Roe v. Wade, Torrey opened up to People magazine about her experience having an abortion at 21, the emotional impact, and how important it was for her to have that choice.
Online, she’s a mental health influencer and regularly discusses the connection between spirituality and mental health.
Torrey hosts “Stream of Consciousness,” a weekly Instagram Live session where she interviews mental health and well-being experts about topics from hormonal health to self-healing and how people can be more present every day.
She talks with spiritual coaches and astrologers about using spirituality as a tool to improve mental health on Fridays.
In these chats, Torrey explains how listening to her spiritual teachers can help her in her own life.
On Torrey’s account, you’ll also find self-help book recommendations, advice about reclaiming your perceived flaws, and candid conversations about overcoming the trap of perfectionism.
Yasmine Cheyenne (@yasminecheyenne) is a self-healing author, speaker, educator, and mental wellness advocate who believes that “self-healing is for everyone.”
As the leader of an online community of over 150k members and host of “The Sugar Jar Podcast,” she helps people learn how to cultivate daily practices to build healthy, joyful lives.
Her social media accounts are full of inspiring videos and quotes about learning to listen to your body and meet your needs.
Yasmine is a powerhouse resource for self-awareness and mental health, with discussions on creating healthy boundaries, designing your dream job, finding love, and more.
She recently spoke at TEDxRutgersCamden on the topic of “How Boundaries Make Space For The Sweet Things in Life,” offering her expertise on setting healthy limits for yourself so you can live the life you want.
She recently launched The Sugar Jar Community app, a safe space offering resources for developing self-awareness and supporting your mental health.
Social media can only go so far. There are many ways to get professional mental health support.
Talk therapy can be a useful tool and there are many in-person and online options available. Apps, like Talkspace and BetterHelp, connect you with therapists you can talk with online.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, you’re not alone. If you live in the U.S., help is available right now:
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255. Text “HOME” to the Crisis Textline at 741741. Alternatively, if you prefer reaching out digitally, you can contact the IMAlive Crisis Chatline.
Social media can affect your well-being.
It can be a supportive space if you follow accounts that are not related to mental health.
Mental health professionals should not replace their advice with that of mental health experts, but their presence may help you feel less alone.
Victoria Stokes is a writer from the United Kingdom. When she’s not writing about her favorite topics, personal development, and well-being, she usually has her nose stuck in a good book. Victoria lists coffee, cocktails, and the color pink among some of her favorite things. Find her on Instagram.
