If you’ve ever met me, you probably know that I spend far too much time watching YouTube videos. Some people are addicted to Facebook, some people can’t get enough of Snapchat, and some people adore the endless parade of unrealistic photographs provided by Instagram. But nope, for me it’s all about pissing about on YouTube.

I feel pretty bad about this most of the time. Sitting in front of a screen all day is not something that’s typically associated with the more productive, successful members of society (I want to be one of those when I grow up, by the way).

But we all need to indulge and enjoy a bit of lazy time now and then. And not everything on YouTube is a pointless waste of time. Yes, I watch a lot of channels just for fun, because I find the creator funny or otherwise entertaining. But I’ve also learned a lot through my YouTube addiction. I’ve found channels about mental health and self-development, channels which focus on nutrition and exercise, and channels that keep me updated on the news and current affairs.

YouTube videos have helped me to: go vegan, become a minimalist, manage my mental health problems, choose the books I want to read, choose the places I want to visit, and choose the recipes I want to cook. There are channels about anything and everything, so I’ve ended up learning about a wide variety of topics just by logging into a website and having a casual browse. YouTube even helped me decide that I wanted to start this blog!

So since I’m such a YouTube enthusiast, I thought I’d share some of my favourite channels! These are in no particular order, since they’re all so fab.

    1. BananaBlondie108

I’ve already mentioned how much I love this channel in my post on 6 Workouts I do to keep FIT, ACTIVE, and MENTALLY HEALTHY. 

The creator of this channel, Michelle, is a hot and hilarious yoga teacher and Mum of two. She mainly focuses on educating her audience on the benefits of yoga and a healthy vegan lifestyle. She posts yoga tutorials, “What I Eat in a Day” style videos, and rants about everything from dick pics to obesity.

The sign of a really good YouTube channel is when you want to watch videos on it that are of no relevance to your life whatsoever. Michelle posts a lot about parenting and even though I have no kids (and probably won’t for a while!) I watch them all. She is just so funny and she makes really good points, so I’d watch a video of hers on literally anything.

Check out BananaBlondie108 if:

• You want to learn about yoga from an experienced teacher
• You want to learn about veganism
• You’re looking for health and fitness inspiration
• You’re interested in parenting
• You like to hear people rant
• You have a dry sense of humour and you’re not easily offended

 

   2.  JennaMarbles

Unless you’ve been living in a matchbox, under a rock, inside a cave, you’ll have heard of Jenna Marbles. She is possibly the funniest lady on the internet, with more than 17million people subscribed to her YouTube channel.

I’ve been watching her for years. I love her rants (although she doesn’t do many of those anymore!), her ridiculous hair/makeup experiments, her wonderful songs, and anything featuring her 3 hilarious dogs and cute little hamster.

She also does a podcast each week with her lovely boyfriend Julien, where they discuss “all the things”. You can check it out here.

You need a bit of Jenna in your life if:

• You enjoy silly/ridiculous comedy
• You love cute little dogs and hamsters
• You enjoy watching “relationship goals” couples
• You hate being an adult and want to watch somebody online who feels the same way

 

    3. THE MUSTARDS

I don’t know how they do it, but this lovely Swedish duo make me feel so calm. 

Jenny and David create videos on self-development, health, veganism, minimalism, and fashion. They are as beautifully produced as they are interesting and useful. For me this channel has resulted in one of those ridiculous situations where you watch somebody you’ve never met and really want to be their friend – I just think they’re so fab! They’re cool, calm and collected, but they have a great sense of humour too.

Jenny has her own channel which currently has a lot more subscribers than their joint one, but personally I prefer to watch her collaborations with David! They also have a great podcast which I love to listen to when I’m out and about or enjoying a bath.

Subscribe to THE MUSTARDS if:

• You want to become a minimalist or just de-clutter a bit
• You want to work on your organisational skills
• You want to learn about healthy vegan eating
• You’re interested in Nordic culture, and particularly in Sweden
• You love fashion

 

    4. Shane

A good friend of Jenna Marbles and another huge name on Youtube, Shane Dawson is the precise level of ridiculous I need in my life in order to remain happy. I just love watching his outrageous videos about his everyday life.

He tries dumb life hacks, he makes desperate attempts to get his pets to love him, he discusses creepy stories and conspiracy theories, and he flawlessly expresses his love for shitty food.

His sense of humour is dark, which I love. And he is an amazing sport when it comes to making fun of himself. This is at its best when he touches on his tough childhood and his struggles with body dysmorphic disorder. But in spite of his dark side it is clear that Shane is a gentle, caring, and all round lovely person. You get to see his sensitive side a fair bit, which is sweet.

Get to know Shane if:

• You enjoy dark humour
• You enjoy watching anything that is completely and utterly ridiculous
• You are a fan of conspiracy theories
• You enjoy creepy stories such as ghost stories and tales of murder
• You like hearing people discuss sex and sexuality very openly
• You love junk food!

 

    5. TED

Everybody knows TED, everybody watches TED talks. So there’s no need to go into too much detail here!

I use TED to learn about all sorts of topics, and to help me with my personal development. If I feel the need to be intellectually stimulated but I can’t be bothered to pick up a book and read, I find myself a TED talk. I have discovered some of the people I admire most on this planet by subscribing to this channel.

You probably already watch a bit of TED. But if not, this is why you need it:

• You like to learn about just about anything – there are talks on every topic you could imagine
• You want learn from people from many walks of life – these talks take place all over the world and the speakers are a diverse bunch
• You want to see some of the best public speaking ever
• You like to learn a lot in a short period of time
• You want to be inspired!

 

   6. Kati Morton

I first came across Kati’s channel during my most severe major depressive episode. I was seeing a counsellor but I needed some extra support between sessions and I desperately wanted to gain a better understanding of my illness.

Kati is a mental health professional, a qualified therapist. Her videos provide information on a wide range of mental health illnesses, advice on how to get help if you are suffering, and details of different types of therapy and how they work. She has a HUGE amount of content, and she answers almost any question you could ask about mental health – including the ones you’re afraid to ask! I simply cannot recommend this channel enough.

Kati is the lady to follow if:

• You are struggling with your mental health and need some help
• You want to learn more about a particular mental illness
• You want to better understand people with mental health struggles
• You want to learn about how you can take care of yourself day to day, whether you are mentally unwell or not
• You want to know what to expect from therapy

 

    7. The Happy Pear

I love healthy, hearty, yummy vegan food. I have tried hard to find good cooking channels. I’ve found many creators who cook meals I would like to eat on a daily basis, but the practicality just isn’t there. The recipes would realistically take far too long, and they usually feature ingredients that would be an arse-ache to get hold of.

But then I found The Happy Pear. I wish I’d found them earlier, when I was first going vegan, and I’ve written about how useful their recipes are for new vegans in my post on How to go Vegan in 7 Simple Steps.

This happy, smiley pair (sorry, pear) of Irish brothers have provided me with so many easy to make, delicious meals. Their recipes are extremely simple, and only require ingredients which are inexpensive and can be purchased at your local shop. Their Moroccan tagine sends me to my happy place.

Cook with The Happy Pear if:

• You want healthy food on a budget
• You like to make things quickly, ideally in one pot
• You’re trying to go vegan but your cooking is shit
• You think Irish men who can cook are sexy  

   

    8.Ozzy Man Reviews

Game of Thrones is one of my favourite things in this world. That is something Ozzy Man and I have in common, so when I came across his honest and witty reviews of each episode I became a fan instantly.

In addition to Thrones he provides commentary on crazy animal adventures, ridiculous viral videos and the world’s biggest sporting events (including ostrich racing). My favourite videos of his are perhaps his “WTF Happened in…” series, where he sums up the highlights of the month.

Check out Ozzy Man if:

• You love Game of Thrones
• You love animals and also find them hilarious
• You want to hear honest and hilarious commentary on all sorts of stuff
• Australian men with mullets are just your type

 

What do you think of these channels? And what do you watch on YouTube? I’m always looking for something new to teach me things or make me laugh, so please leave your suggestions in the comments!

Lots of love xxx