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Mariam

@marbegins

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🧠 Mental health, OCD advocate | 🐈 Loki's human
💭 Stray cats, animals, & hopecore posting
💆🏻‍♀️ UGC creator | 🇦🇪 Ad Permit: 5700708

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Hi, I’m Mariam, a self-proclaimed cat whisperer, mental health advocate, and big-time nerd with a mission: to make my little corner of the internet a safe, comforting space for anyone who needs it. 🌟

Here’s my pitch: Life can be overwhelming and exhausting, but it doesn’t always have to feel that way. I hope I can be a person on your feed who reminds you to pause, breathe, and maybe smile at a cute cat picture or two.

On this account, you’ll find:
🐈 Cats, cats, and even more cats! Strays I meet, shelter kitties, and the many ways they’re helping me heal from contamination OCD.
🧠 Real talk about mental health. I'm on antidepressants, have been wrestling with anxiety and depression for many years, and have days where the struggle feels too much. But I’m still here. And so are you.
🌷 Little moments of comfort. Reflections, tips for self care, and reminders to be kind to yourself.
📖 A little nerdiness! I love collecting Funko Pops and comic books, and reading classical novels. I'm always up to read something new!

My goals here are simple:
💛 To spread comfort and kindness
💛 To raise awareness about mental health (because we ALL deserve to feel seen and supported)
💛 To help stray and shelter cats in whatever small ways I can
💛 To keep this space a digital diary that’s honest, warm, and sometimes silly

Swipe through to get to know me better, and if you think I’d make a good addition to your day, let’s stick around and grow together.

Will you let me be your Comfort Creator?

💛 You are loved. You are important. And you’re always welcome here. Sending you all the love and cat cuddles. 🐾

tags: [content creator, comfort creator, kindness, OCD awareness, mental health matters, shelter cats, stray cats]
#smallcontentcreator #smallcreator #ocdwarrior #healingjourney #sheltercatsofinstagram #straycatsofinstagram #comfortcreator #kindnessmatters #reelswithfeels #sheltercats #straycats #actuallyocd #ocdawareness by @marbegins

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2 years ago

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8 months ago

There are so many things people do when they’re struggling that can be misunderstood from the outside. Things I've done myself. None of these things make you lazy, difficult, selfish, or a disappointment. Sometimes you’re just trying to get through the day with the very little energy you have

And sometimes the people around you won’t understand what you’re going through. But you deserve kindness anyway. If you’re struggling right now, I hope you know that you don’t have to be productive, sociable, or “living up to your potential” to deserve to be here

And if someone you love is struggling, you don’t need to understand everything they’re going through to show them a little kindness

#suicideawarenessmonth #suicideawarenessprevention #bekindtooneanother #bekindtoyourmind by @marbegins

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4 days ago

I guess I’m turning these into a little series at this point. Because the more I think about suicide prevention, the more I realise how many things can be part of it, and how many of them are actually just little acts of kindness, patience and understanding

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think any of the things on these lists are a magic fix, and we can’t always know what someone is going through. But sometimes, making someone feel heard, understood and less alone matters more than we realise❤️

Suicide Prevention Month is a great time to talk about these things. But I do hope we continue to talk about them year round, because people's suffering doesn't stop on October 1st

#suicidepreventionmonth #suicidepreventionawareness #suicideawarenessmonth #sheltercats by @marbegins

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9 days ago

Sometimes, when you’re in a really dark place, “things will get better” can feel impossible to believe. So instead, you might just need something small to hold on to

None of these things have to fix everything. They don’t have to make life suddenly feel good. But they can be just enough for you to stay for one more day

I've added my own reasons in the last slide. These are reasons I still hold on to today. Especially when my mind gets really loud and unbearable. They might not seem like much, but they do give me life, in every sense of the word

If you're reading this, let's think together about your reasons. Tell me just one reason, no matter how "small". One thing that keeps you going, and then hold that reason in your heart and mind, and make sure to never let go🤍

#worldsuicidepreventionday #suicidepreventionmonth #sheltercats by @marbegins

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21 days ago

You never really know what someone is carrying, and then you lose people and wish you could've done more. But how could you have, if you had no idea they were struggling in the first place?

That's why I choose to be kind. I think kindness is the solution to all our problems. Okay, maybe not. But a girl can dream!

But if you choose to be kind – kind to your friends and to strangers. A simple text message here, a warm hug there, a kind word or two... you may never know which act of kindness saved someone's life, but what you can know for certain is that you have spread good in the world. You have spread love. I don't think anything could be more beautiful than that

And if you're the one struggling, I hope you know you are loved. I know how hard it can be to stay, but if nothing else, at least stay for all the cats that are going to love you in the future. I know I have

🤍 #suicidepreventionawareness #suicidepreventionmonth #suicidepreventionawarenessmonth by @marbegins

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a month ago

If you know me, you know I don't usually have good things to say about myself. But I've been in therapy long enough to know that our thoughts can lie to us, that the way we view ourselves isn't necessarily a reflection of who we actually are. What evidence do I have that my OCD is telling the truth? What evidence do I have that's it NOT?

This post was inspired by @treatmyocd and @dierdrerae_ cuz when I saw their original post, it reminded me of a therapy exercise I once had and I just had to make my own❤️

#bekindtoyourmind #ocdrecovery #ocdawareness

For the longest time, I worried I wouldn't make a good cat mum because what if I couldn't tolerate the messiness that comes with cats? The "contamination"? What if I hurt my cat?

But I've been a cat mum for over a year now and I can't remember what life was like when I wasn't. I love him so much, he's my whole world. Maybe my OCD was lying.

When I was a kid, before OCD took over my brain, I'd pet stray cats behind my mother's back. But then OCD took over, and as much as I loved cats, I couldn't even bring myself to walk on the street if strays were there, because they always want to come up to me, and what if they rub against my leg?

I've been taking care of strays for around two years now. I am fine. Nothing bad happened. In fact, I've been able to build an online community that cares for these babies as much as I do. OCD was lying

I was, am so scared of the idea of being alone because I don't know how to be independent. I don't know how to survive on my own. Travelling alone? That's insane. What if I get lost? What if I lose my passport? What if I get so stressed I crash out all by myself?

I've travelled without my family twice now. I am not exaggerating when I say that they were the happiest days of my life

I've never liked myself. I've never thought of myself as anyone worthwhile. My OCD always fills my mind with these thoughts - what if I'm actually a narcissist? There are people who like me, what if I've been lying to all of them? What if my entire personality is an elaborate act I've put on to make people think I'm good, when I'm actually an awful person full of evil?

What if these thoughts are wron by @marbegins

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3 months ago

I spent so long trying to become “less sensitive”, “less emotional”, “less affected by things” that I forgot there was a younger version of me listening to every cruel thing I said to myself

I think a lot of healing is realising that my inner child never actually disappeared. She’s still here in tiny ways. In the way I get excited over toys and comics. In the way I find comfort in cats. In the way I still want reassurance, softness, safety, and little treats after difficult days

Sometimes I look at her and realise she survived things she genuinely thought would destroy her. And despite everything, she is still capable of softness, love, and wonder. And she is still a part of my soul

She has always been here, and she always will be, so I don’t think healing myself means “fixing” her, or leaving her behind. I think it’s learning how to live for her, and coexisting alongside her with compassion

#innerchildhealing by @marbegins

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5 months ago

I'm thinking about this caption, about how I should probably say something along the lines of "who cares what the world says" and "I'm actually not a disappointment"... but I fear I wouldn't be honest because that's not how I truly feel

I feel like a failure a lot of the time and sometimes, I wish I had a run-of-the-mill life with the conventional path that is expected of me; a stable career where I make enough to have financial stability, my own little family with a good Coptic husband and a kid or two, a mind that lets go and moves on from the rough patches and instead looks forward to building a good future, maybe even a mindset that follows that of the average Coptic woman

But I don't have a conventional life. I'm not a conventional person, at least not for my part of the world. I'm still single at 27, I have no plan to have any kids at any time, with only fur babies to get my love and attention. I'm sad all the time and haven't let go of a single thing that's ever happened to me

Now you're probably thinking "what a depressing post with an even more depressing caption". You're probably right! It all sounds so depressing. But my goal here isn't to brag about how my atypical life is actually better than anyone else's lifestyles

I don't believe my life is better... but I do know we all have things about ourselves that would take us out of the norm. Some people hide those things, pretend, try to conform, perhaps even suppress their true selves just to fit in. But no matter what I've ever done in my life, I have never fit in anywhere

I wanted to share this particular side of my life because I know I'm not the only one. Over the last two years I've gotten so many sweet messages, for some reason there are people who look up to me even with my laundry list of problems. And I want to tell every one of you, you are not alone. It's okay to be different, to get off path, to live your own life loudly and without shame or worry about what people would think

This is your life. Only you have the right to have any opinion of it. Only you are capable of changing it. And only you will ever get to live it, so don't live it for other people. It's too short for that by @marbegins

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5 months ago

Little me is like "why can't you just be normal girl who hurt you" and adult me is like "don't even joke lad"

#smallcontentcreatorsupport #smallinfluencerdiscovery #justagirl by @marbegins

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5 months ago

I talk a lot about how being around cats helps with my OCD but I also wanted to share a little a bit of what actually goes on in my head at the same time

I have contamination OCD, with sprinkles of other themes that are just always ready to activate. Here are some of the thoughts that fill my head whenever I'm feeding a stray cat

#straycatsofinstagram #straycats by @marbegins

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6 months ago

I’ve been seeing more and more posts about pets being dumped because of fear about what might happen in the region

I understand that people are scared. Uncertainty does that to all of us. But our pets feel that fear too, and they only have us

When you adopt an animal, you’re not just bringing home something cute. You’re taking responsibility for a life that depends entirely on you for safety, food, comfort, and protection

If you’re worried about uncertain times, the answer isn’t to leave your pets behind. The answer is to plan for them too

Stock supplies, make sure their vaccinations and microchips are updated, arrange relocation support if needed

But please don’t treat them as disposable

They are family. And family should stick together, especially when things feel uncertain

#sheltercatsofinstagram #sheltercats #adoptedcatsofinstagram #uaecats taken in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by @marbegins

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7 months ago