Living Lighter: Self Care: Loopholes

As Ann Borges writes in The *More or Less* Definitive Guide To Self Care:

This week one "Loophole" that is working well for me is to "hack" Instagram culture. There has been an ongoing discussion on how social media including sites such as Instagram can negatively impact our mental health because we see this curated perfect world version of others and can start to compare our messy real lives to that ideal version. So Instagram culture may seem like an odd place to turn for a self-care loophole.

I have "hacked" this viewpoint to help me make healthier food choices. This started when I started to have my roommate take photos of my cultural heritage cooking projects. I have now started taking photos of the dinners I make myself each night. I do not create these photos for Instagram but I do share with one of my roommates.

I have found planning on taking a photo means I put in the extra effort to make sure my dinners are colorful and even garnished. It means I eat more veggies and less junk. It means eating meals I will be proud to show off.

While each and every person has their own challenges to eating well, fitness, mental health, and self-care, that simply means that each and every person can find a creative "hack" to feeling their best.