#hailethomas

Today’s #BeKind21 message is brought to you by our partners at The Happy Org.

My name’s Haile (@hailethomas). I’m an 18-year-old wellness and compassion activist and CEO of @thehappyorg, an organization that aims to redefine youth education and empowerment through intersectional wellness initiatives. When we talk about creating kind communities, we often talk only about communities IRL and we forget about an important space: social media. With social media, we can sometimes unconsciously get distracted by and caught up in general negativity. With all of this, it can be easy to forget two things: 1) that every online interaction can shape our mindsets, attitudes, and perceptions, and 2) that we have the power to curate our social media environment and choose what influences us. Owning our power and using social media with intention and awareness allows us to create and be part of truly meaningful and kind communities. Here are my top 5 tips for doing so on Instagram! 1) Follow accounts intentionally and with YOU in mind. Follow accounts that inspire you, connect you to your interests, share positive and empowering messages to shape your mindset, accounts that make you smile, or even challenge your beliefs and introduce you to new people/places/experiences. Using social media intentionally helps keep our usage focused as well. That way every time you open the app, you know youʼll have an experience that will help open your heart and mind or just give you a boost of good feels!

2) Unfollow accounts that donʼt make you feel good. This is pretty straight forward. Donʼt be afraid to remove negative and toxic accounts or people from your feed! Take a moment to think about which accounts aren’t supporting your best self and unfollow them. If you want to take a break from an account without unfollowing them, consider muting them. (To do this, press “…” on the top right of one of their posts and click “Mute”.)

3) Make your account a safe space for yourself and others. I use Instagram’s comment filters because I want to ensure my account is one where positivity and kindness is the standard. The comment filter helps you filter out words and phrases that you find to be negative, derogatory, triggering, or just arenʼt reflective of the energy youʼd like to have on your page.

4) Set a positive example. Be kind and authentic. This is something Iʼve come to discover can truly make our Instagram experience special. Share your story, share your ups and downs, and just be you. It sounds so cliché, but there will always be people out there who can relate to and benefit from your authenticity. And put kindness out, too! Uplift your friends, empathize with strangers, and report bullying when you see it! Itʼs the little ways we look out for ourselves and others that count most.

5) Be aware of how social media is affecting your wellbeing…and take action when needed. Be sure to check in on how social media is affecting you every now and then. If you find social media to sometimes be overwhelming, breaks can act as a form of self-care and rejuvenation. Your wellbeing always comes first, so if you feel like taking a 2-day or 2-month hiatus, try it out! Itʼs absolutely okay to take a break. Here are some tools you can use to balance your time on Instagram. Your kindness challenge today: Use these tips as helpful reminders that your social media experience is truly what you make of it...and you can make it awesome! And try leaving a surprise kind comment on a friend’s page, you’ll be surprised at the effect your kindness can have on their day.

#FeedYourBeauty

We wanted to know more about celebrity teen chef, Haile Thomas, the inspiration for My Social Canvas' Feed Your Beauty campaign, which benefits healthy cooking classes for adolescent girls in underserved communities. She told MSC about her favorite foods, healthy eating choices, and passion for feeding her inner and outer beauty.

What inspired you to get involved with health and how did it become your passion?

When my father was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes I realized that our family had to do something about this serious condition, so I took my passion for cooking and learned how to make our families’ favorite dishes healthier. My family and I made these favorites with healthy twists, and became educated about the risks associated with eating a diet heavy with processed foods, and also about the importance of physical activity through documentaries and books. After we were able to reverse my dad’s diabetes, I knew that I wanted to share my story and inspire my peers and their families to make healthy lifestyle choices as well.

When were you first interested in healthy eating?

After my father’s diagnosis, I was inspired to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes in particular. It’s something that runs in our family, and also affects kids, and I found out that food plays a huge role in the condition. I began to analyze our eating habits, and I quickly learned that we weren’t eating enough nutritious foods on a daily basis. I got in the kitchen with my family and started to experiment with different healthy ingredients, and I learned that vegetables are delicious and fun to make. This eventually led our family to embrace a vegan way of eating, and it’s been a lot of fun getting creative with nutritious whole plant-based foods. It really was life changing in many ways.

If you could pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

I’m a very adventurous eater, so I don’t think I would be too happy about eating one thing for the rest of my life, but I do have a food that I absolutely love to eat and cook with on a regular basis! I love mushrooms, they’re so versatile and you can flavor them any way. They are fantastic in curried stews, in burgers, and even occasionally fried for a crispy treat. Also, there are many varieties, so it’s basically impossible to get bored with them. My latest favorite is King Oyster Mushrooms, I can make them taste like scallops with a little seaweed seasoning, and that's fantastic because seafood used to be a big favorite for me!

What does My Social Canvas mean to you?

To me, My Social Canvas represents a platform for girls to spread awareness about the things that they care about, with the hope to inspire others to be fearless in advocating what they believe in, while creating the life of their dreams. I feel very lucky to be associated with a company that is so dedicated and invested in my success and growth as a girl with a mission who is working toward my dreams.

What do you hope other women and girls will feel while they are wearing your "Feed Your Beauty" shirt?

I want it to be a reminder that the things that we feed our bodies are the building blocks to inner and outer beauty.  I also want women and girls to feel empowered to make healthy choices and to also know that when they feed their beauty, they feed their self-confidence and they feed their self-esteem. This all has a positive effect on how inspired and motivated they are to pursue the happy healthy life they are meant to live.

What final message do you want all girls and women to walk away with?

I want all girls and women to know that when they feed their beauty, the best version of them will shine through!

You can follow Haile on Instagram at @haileteenvegan, Twitter @chefhaile, and visit her website hailevthomas.com. 

OMG our own Haile Thomas, Hyatt’s for Kids by Kids spokesperson is competing in a food network show for her own show!