Instagram is my sole 21st-century vice these days, keeping me in touch with friends and far-off family. It lacks the wicked humour of Twitter, but it does shield me from Twitter’s apoca-rages of public shaming and vibrating despair at our hurtling handbasket of a world; the strangers I follow on Instagram are generally more calmly constructive about Next Steps (‘here’s how to get in touch with your MP’/‘here are some alternatives to the products that might be v v bad for the environment’ etc). My vice within that vice are lifestyle bloggers, ranging from fashion to interiors, food to fitness, travel to parenting. And while we’re all distracted by the gnarled new shapes current external pressures are forming us into, a couple of things are super noticeable right now. 

1. Boy oh boy, do these guys make me want to never buy anything ever again*. Every new pair of sunglasses, new sofa, new dungarees, new phone cover, new coffee pot and enamel plate and blanket and trainers and paint – I think of the unlikelihood that these products are 100% recycled, or not made by exploited workers somewhere along the production chain, or aren’t costing us clean air, clean water, vital forests, unique habitats. (Spoilers: no, we’re still mostly treating our planet like we can get a new one from TK Maxx once this one’s broken) 

2. The replacement of meaningful, tough – and perhaps flawed – spirituality with that of the god(dess) of Self. Fine, many of us might not believe in a bearded man up in the sky/(insert appropriate variation), but the endless search for self, for improvement of self, for the soothing of self seems not just pointless, but actively bad in these quick-fix forms. On one blogger’s Instagram story today, a company had sent a free product along with some boosting text: “Give yourself permission to say no/make a list of your achievements today/get a full night’s sleep/go outside, move your body/indulge in your sensitive side” and topped it all with a large card bearing the text “Put yourself first and everything else will follow”. Now, for all I know, these cards could have been the final words in a package consisting of 400 pages of campaigning notes for intersectional feminism, workers’ rights and environmental protection, but it does staaaaart to feel like what was once a thoughtful Tumblr hashtag to support people with mental health issues has become 99% of the world behaving as though they’re recovering from a deep PTSD. Which they probably are, fuck it, look at us right now. hashtag literally all recent elections

My point is: there’s a reason major cultural organisations throughout time (aka religions) put humility, charity and selflessness way up there on the Thumbs Up scale. (REMINDER: Donna and Tom celebrated Treat Yo Self Day once a year, guys, not every time they connected to the internet. ONCE A YEAR.) Yes, I need to get good sleep and breathe some fresh air and carve some space out for myself in my busy life. But jesus, do you know what generally makes me feel better than all of that? Helping someone else. 

You’ll meet new people! You’ll gain amazing skills! You’ll actually have specific jobs to do, so can more often than not feel like you’ve made the world slightly better with only a single hour or two from your week! 

Here are some good places to start – if anyone wants to send me any more (supporting immigrant families? mental health? sexuality? wider conservation?) I’d be delighted to add to the list: 

The Samaritans Great training, varied shifts, listen to someone other than the anxious voice in your brain. 

Home Start Full training to support families with young children for a couple of hours a week. 

Age UK Offering visits, phone calls or day service support to older people who may be suffering from loneliness. 

Contact the Elderly Tea parties! Who doesn’t like tea parties! Driving guests to the parties once a month, or hosting in your home. 

Rethink Good training to support people suffering from mental health issues (or their families) across the UK. 

The Woodland Trust Count seeds, guide some tours, speak at schools. I <3 trees. 

Canal & River Trust Hang out with Good People as you litter-pick, de-weed, check boats and welcome visitors around the waterways. 

Guides/Brownies/Scouts/Cubs/whatever I don’t feel like I could actually do this one for all the brownies in the land (PUN INTENDED) because I am frightened of children I can’t legally call Maggots and carry around by their ankles, but every volunteer I’ve met in these fields was just the nicest. We love you, brave people. 

Please send more, if you have any suggestions. Charity shops, community centres, religious centres, even assisting local councillors, if you don’t like what’s happening in your area with schools/hospitals/parks/housing…  

Good luck out there. It can feel pretty sweet. 

*not legally binding