Let's Talk About Mental Health within the Disney Instagram Community

Mental health has become a more acceptable topic to talk about as the stigma behind mental health slowly diminishes. As an individual who has numerous social media platforms, I can definitely stand behind the fact that social media is a trigger. Social media can be extremely toxic especially when you only see half of the story. Being a person who cannot travel to the parks more than once a year if I am lucky, it can be extremely frustrating at times to see everyone consistently going to the place you love the most. When I decided to start this blog I wasn't sure what approach I wanted to take but now I have realized I think it would be best to understand it from the point of view of an individual who doesn't always get to be at The Most Magical Place on Earth 24/7. 

I'll be completely transparent with you guys that no I haven't been okay. As we all know the coronavirus has had a huge impact on people's mental health because of the uncertainty of the world. I live in one of the biggest hotspots and that has been extremely nerve-racking. Many of my close friends know that four people in my family contracted the coronavirus. When you are directly impacted by the virus I notice that you tend to have a completely different mindset afterward. Thankfully all of my family members are now okay but we were left in uncertainty for quite some time. Fast forward to a couple weeks later the BLM movement hit social media. This had a huge impact on the tone of social media for quite some time. I decided to pause normal content in order to respect and support the cause in order to educate those who needed it and spread the word in order to promote the movement further. After social media began to return to normal I noticed everyone was extremely tense. On June 25th the news was released about the retheming of Splash Mountain to a Princess and the Frog attraction and that caused a huge spark in the community. Many people were angered about the change causing me to hide my excitement for the new attraction due to the fear of being attacked like prior. I am afraid to speak out sometimes in the Disney community especially when I don't have the same views so instead, I will hide how I really feel. A platform is supposed to allow people to express their opinions and feelings but instead, I stay silent in order to avoid conflict. I can only imagine that many others feel the same exact way as I do. 

Today I decided it was crucial that I bring to light some issues I have been dealing with my Instagram account. As you all know by now my account is dedicated to my passion for Disney and Universal. However, I have avoided posting Universal content because of the feedback I have received in the past. Me avoiding sharing such a huge part of me is letting strangers take control of my account and I cannot let that happen anymore. The reason I am sharing my personal experiences with peer pressure within the community is due to the fact that I believe I could potentially help someone else learn from my mistakes. I don't want others to feel alone especially when you spend hours working on content for it to just flop. This happens to me so much I have just learned to brush it off. Yes, it's frustrating seeing other people who just threw something together which probably took them five minutes to have a better outcome than you. I have noticed many people have been uninspired in the past couple of weeks hence why I put challenges out there sometimes to try to reignite the spark in them to be creative again. For the past week, my anxiety has been worse than usual but I have discovered a new passion which is my character drawings. Sometimes venturing out of your normal routine will help you discover activities that can help you cope with anxiety, depression, etc. I understand that it can be difficult to push through when you feel you don't have a support system, especially when starting a Youtube channel or a new small shop! If you have a Youtube channel or small shop please comment down below the name of it because I would love to share it on my Instagram and check it out! Everyone deserves a chance at a support system and I hope I can be that for you guys. 

As always I hope you guys are having a magical day wherever you are in the world and I'll see you guys real soon!