The queen of body posi and mental health advocacy on Instagram, Libby Broomhall

Libby (@libbbroomhall on Instagram) is 21 and has recently finished her degree in Education and Counselling at Newman University in Birmingham! (Yes girl well done!!!!)

Libby uses her Instagram to document her journey with her mental health and body positivity - which is amazing! As well as her everyday life. The reason why Libby uses her Instagram for these reasons is definitely something that most of us can relate to.

“For me, growing up on social media and constantly being reminded that I have never been the skinniest or prettiest girl out there, really had an effect on my mental health and particularly on how I saw myself physically. I've suffered with ill-mental health for so many years, however attending university really affected me and resulted in my mental health deteriorating further.“ said Libby

Whilst we love social media and all use it, there’s no doubt it can definitely be damaging.

Libby said: “Around the ages of 17-20 I had little self-confidence and honestly saw no meaning to life anymore, I experienced trauma and heartbreak and this left me feeling extremely vulnerable. Through these times, I only ever turned to social media and saw the negative sides and spent endless amounts of hours just scrolling & wishing my life was like everyone else's. This made me want to start clearing out my social media and only follow people who made me feel good about my life, which is why I wanted to amplify this and be that change for others who may be in the same position as me and feel lost without any real guidance and advice within the world of social media. I've always been open about my struggles and my mental health, so I thought why not put this into something positive and share it with others who are feeling the same. Mental health and self love are both very close to my heart, so it felt best to centre my page around this.”

Libby‘s instagram is full of her honest thoughts and positivity- but she hasn’t always found it easy to be this way. Libby says her social media has helped her to gain confidence in being herself.

“In 2017 I really started to become more open about what I was feeling and I stopped feeling embarrassed about what I was experiencing and instead started to speak to myself nicely and saw things in a different light. Which is when I started to be more open on social media and to my friends, as I started to realise that what I was going through was nothing to be embarrassed about, but something that made me the person I am today”. said Libby.

Libby continued: “There is already enough stigma in society regarding mental health, so for me I wanted to contribute to tearing it down and share my experiences of mental health for others who may be going through the same. It's definitely a journey, but a journey I'm still on and hope to overcome one day”.

In line with her mantra on social media, Libby created the #kindnesswithlib as a space where people can be themselves, and share love and kindness without feeling judgement.

“I love seeing all different kinds of content within the hashtag, for me personally I love posting my own content which revolves around me being kind to myself, as I am the probably the person in my life who I am the least kindest to (well, not anymore). But, I love seeing everything in there, I love seeing people being kind to themselves whilst loving their bodies, as well as sharing their favourite things to do, like reading books or going for long walks. Which is what my hashtag is all about, showing that kindness can be incorporated into everything and anything”. said Libby.

Libby has spent the majority of lockdown finishing off her university work, whilst in isolation with her boyfriend who decided to stay with her instead of moving back home (what an angel!).

We asked Libby how she felt about finishing university and if she has learnt anything during her time there.

“I learnt that university can bring on so many hardships which really put things into perspective, things like getting bad grades and feeling like a failure, friendships breaking down and leaving you to feel isolated and alone. I feel like the hard stuff is never really spoken about and you're not prepared enough for it and only the good sides to uni are amplified. But, overall I am graduating university a completely different person to the girl who sat in her uni room day in day out crying and feeling so low in myself to the point where I didn't see a positive way out”. said Libby.

Here at The Influencer, we can definitely relate to having a negative uni experience but being able to learn from it and accept it.

Some of Libby’s favourite creators include Charlotte Emily Price and Chessie King for their body positivity and relatable content.

We want to say a massive thank you to Libby for getting involved with The Influencer and being so open and real with us. We think you are amazing!

Don‘t forget to drop Libby a follow on the gram @libbbroomhall. (https://instagram.com/libbbroomhall?igshid=1nbxsgbh4y1lo )

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