Perfectionism and Social Media

Host: John Graham

Guests: Zoe Aston - @yourmentalhealthworkout

In this chapter with psychotherapist and mental health advisor Zoe Aston (@yourmentalhealthworkout) we talk about the influence social media can have on us and chasing the idea that everything has to be "perfect." We speak about how we can use social media to inspire us but also that we need to learn to recognise when our use of it starts to have negative effects on us. We talk about the illusion of other people's lives looking perfect and how that strive for perfection within our own lives ultimately leads to unhappiness as it is just that, an illusion. Zoe gives a nice example of a test for how we look at our own achievements versus how we would react if it was a friend achieving the same thing. She breaks down how even some of the words we use in relation to ourselves can have an impact on shaming us rather than creating a sense of accountability and looking for solutions. We talk about letting go of the idea of controlling other people's reactions to us. Zoe also speaks on an experience she had in a performance after doing some of her own mental health work and the difference it made in how others saw her as a dancer and what she was capable of. We finish by talking about setting our own boundaries when it comes to social media and learning to know what's good for our mental well being.

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