What Is Casual Instagram?

I saw this concept of “Casual Instagram” floating around Tik Tok the other day and it’s fascinating to say the least. There’s a lot riding on what makes a good post these days from text content, images, video, audience demographic and the list is endless.

Casual Instagram is just a new vibe, and dare I say–aesthetic all together.

Post an IG carousel of the almond butter jar in your pantry, the rain on your car window, you brushing your teeth and your bedside lamp and you’ve been initiated into the world of ~casual instagram~

Sounds easy enough, but I’m sure you can find plenty of arguments about the number of right and wrong ways there are to post like that. Here’s the thing–you’re already completely free to post literally whatever you like to on the web, but this new aesthetic just gives some sort of unwritten permission for you to post content that’s either more carefully curated or chill and relatable.

You can’t get (that much) heat for doing something that’s at least somewhat trendy…

People like having options and this type of content gives you that. Yes, it’s very different from the ring lights and planned outfits, but if you were looking for an excuse to switch up your feed, here it is.

Get In (Then Out) Of Your Feelings

In hindsight I think it’s fair to say that 2020 has been nothing less than an actual “Rona-coaster” of emotions. There’s been so much that happened externally in the world, but all of that affects us internally; that’s exactly why I made this episode specifically.

Alright, I’m going to give you guys 4 STEPS to help you process your emotions…

*Cue awesome transition beat if you’re listening to the episode available to stream NOW*

STEP #1: Notice what your body is telling you.

This is everything you’re feeling physically. Are you sweating a little bit, is your stomach churning, do you have butterflies? (THAT’S A THING OKAY) Are you feeling any kind of chest tightness, is your heart skipping a beat and not in the good way because I know you know what that feels like.

These are all signs that you’re body is a little stressed out and if we don’t LISTEN to them and actually understand that we’re feeling this way, this could easily lead to exhaustion and burnout and before you know it you’re on bed-rest in a hospital and the only thing the doc can tell you is that you’re stressed out. Now you can put two-and-two together before getting a hospital bill for it.

The stress can even start attacking your body physically when you have all these built up unprocessed emotions; it’ll go to your organs your muscles, your body systems and really start eating away at you and it’s honestly PRETTY SCARY, but that’s why we need to start with these practices now and listen to our bodies when they are screaming and yelling at us.

STEP #2: Identify what you’re feeling.

Don’t just say you’re “sad” or “mad” because that’s only going to get you so far. Use some bigger vocab (because you’re a big kid now) and ask yourself if you’re HURT, ANGRY, JEALOUS, FURIOUS. BETRAYED. These bigger words carry deeper meaning with them and this allows you to start linking the trigger as to how you even got to that feeling in the first place.

Ex: “I feel betrayed.”

Then ask yourself: Who hurt me? Where was I when this happened? When did I start feeling this way? etc.

Before you know it, you have all these extra puzzle pieces that you didn’t have before to help you figure out where your feelings stem from. During this process it is SO important that you DO NOT judge yourself for what you’re feeling even if it’s an ugly emotion! I get that no on wants to say they feel jealous, but you have to be vulnerable and honest with yourself in order to effectively process and think through your emotions.

STEP #3: Accept what you’re feeling.

FULLY OWN IT. Denial is NOT part of this 4-step process. So if you’re going to deny your feelings, you need to start back at Step #1. When you deny your feelings they’re just going to bottle up inside of you and the last thing you want is that you start projecting your feelings on to other people, and not even random people but the people who you LOVE and care about! This is entirely a self-awareness game. Processing your emotions falls under the umbrella of self care. You can’t expect to take care of other people at the level that you want to if you’re not taking care of yourself mentally; there has to be balance. Only then when you realize you’re in a state of mind that you DON’T want to be in, you can start progressing toward a state of mind that you do want to be in.

(last but CERTAINLY not least)

STEP #4: Act to make the situation more peaceful for yourself.

This can be a completely different mental and/or physical state change. In terms of a mental state change; maybe it’s the best time to establish a mindful practice. Write your feelings down. LOOK. I don’t mean grab a pretty pink unicorn diary (which is cool too though) but literally grab a STICKY NOTE and a pen or the mechanical pencil you used in 7th grade and write down exactly what you’re feeling. Get it out from your head and bring all your thoughts into the physical world. This is for you to see, look at and really understand.

If you want to chalk on the sidewalk with a million colors GO DO THAT. If you want to carve it into a TREE that’s even better. I just want you to find a way to get it OUT from just YOUR HEAD. During this time, you are giving yourself permission to feel. If crying to a Taylor Swift album is going to help you feel them and/or watching The Notebook, then that’s EXACTLY what you need to do.

The key to all of this is that once you get out of those heightened emotions, you’re able to think more clearly and you’ll have a lot better judgement.

Hope this post serves you well and check out more from Talk Bacc and yours truly on the gram.

L O N E L Y

Enough to make a grown man cry–which actually happened while singer and songwriter Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker) was recording this song. “Lonely” is dedicated to his father who unfortunately passed away earlier this year before Kelly’s latest album “Tickets To My Downfall” topped the Billboard Charts at No. 1

The pain and passion is evident in every chord strung, drum beat and note sang to produce this track. I’m not trying to put you in your feelings, but listen to this track to hear a song that you know TRULY means something to the artist behind the music. In MGK’s interview with Allison Hagendorf (@allihagendorf), host of the show “Rock This” available to stream exclusively on Spotify, he mentions how picking up the guitar in the attempt to revive the modern rock genre, was one of the few things that connected him to his father. If you didn’t shed a tear in the first 165 seconds of the song, then you definitely will in the last 25.

If you love someone, tell them.

Every. Chance. You. Get.

More content on Instagram @nasbacc and @talkbacc

“Double the U, Double the Flavor”

My first artist appreciation post is dedicated to the Doncaster-native YUNGBLUD for starting to bridge the gap between new and old rock music. Heads up, not all of his stuff sounds the same (as there’s an obvious fusion of genres) but there’s good reason for that. Say what you will about his style (not like he cares) but this guy’s vocals are unmatched. I totally get it—different music is for different people. However, if you’re ready to venture off to try something new then check out the song “Strawberry Lipstick” on his newest album “weird!” The rest of the album will be released next month. *don’t let the initial scream scare you, it’s the best part*

“11 minutes” “Tongue Tied” “body bag” and “I Think I’m Okay” are can’t-miss collabs with Halsey, Travis Barker, Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear. For a different vibe he’s done covers on songs from Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, Drake, Amy Winehouse, The Weeknd and more. His. Range. Is. Everything. 10/10 would recommend. 

These mesmerizing photos are taken by the insanely talented Jodie Mitchell (@jodiedcmitchell) for One on One UK (@oneononeuk).

We Could All Learn a Thing or Two from Children’s Books

 

Dear Girl. Not IMG_7901to sound sappy, but these eight letters will always have a special place in my heart. “Dear Girl” is a New York Time’s Bestseller children’s book written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, her daughter Paris Rosenthal and illustrated by Holly Hatam. The honest beauty of this specific book (besides its adorable illustrations) is that its words are incredibly relatable to all ages. Whether you’re 12 or 21, the points made in the books are still relative to any individual. One of my favorite lines reads,

Dear Girl, write down your thoughts once in a while, even if it’s just to enjoy the way your pen feels against the paper.”

Look, I get it. We’re living in a technological world right now, and picking up a pen and paper instead of opening the Notes app on an iPhone seems outdated. However, there’s something about writing (not typing) your thoughts free-hand that has the ability to unlock a world of undiscovered emotions from within. It’s a unique experience that truly allows for you to empty your mind and spill your raw thoughts on paper and when it’s all said and done, you don’t have a choice but to face your truth and study your own avenue of thought. I stopped hand-writing my personal notes in high school when my parents gifted me with a new laptop for college. My writing was recored with one Word document after another and it worked for a short time, but I eventually gravitated back to journaling my thoughts by hand. This only intensified my love for writing, which is more than any keyboard could ever do for me.

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As I look back at my own written notes, I can literally see the passion etched into my words as moments of frustration are reflected with varying pressures of pen marks. My script-style writing almost turns illegible as if my hand couldn’t write fast enough to keep up with countless thoughts, aching to find a home between a couple of faint blue lines.

“Dear Girl” has encouraged me to write again, and I whole-heartedly believe that this book, along with millions of other children’s books, has the same potential to bring positive influence to both children and adults.

Before writing this article, I did some background research on the author. I was hoping to find a postal address where I could directly write to Rosenthal to express how much her words truly mean to me, especially after recently graduating college. However,  I was deeply saddened to discover that she passed away in 2017 from ovarian cancer and she is survived by her daughter, two sons, and husband. At 21 years old, Rosenthal’s encouraging words still holds an incredible amount of meaning to me, and gives me hope as I progress into adulthood.

 

More about Amy Rosenthal and her story: