09.

Claire.

Where were you at this time last year? How are things different now?

I was in the same house, doing the same uni course that I am now. But obviously now it’s all online, so that’s been one of the biggest changes.

Have you found that social media plays a role in the way you see yourself? Does it play an even bigger role now that it's one of the only ways to connect to the outside?

So I definitely think social media has an impact on how I view myself. In the past it was a more negative relationship, I had to take breaks from it. I would set times- I’ve done months at a time, where I would take breaks from social media.
But now that Social Media has become such a crucial part of communication now that we’re in isolation, I think that my dependence on it has increased, but I have a much healthier relationship with it. I’m able to set boundaries for myself, so I know when I need to take that break.

Do you find yourself striving for perfection? What fuels this need?

I think I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist throughout my life - whether that’s been an influence from my mum, or something that’s just always been a part of me, I don’t know.
I think the influence of social media and Instagram in particular have definitely had an impact on that. If I wanted to post something, it had to be the greatest picture ever... but recently I’ve been able to break away from that.

Do you think pushing yourself to be perfect is harmful or beneficial?

It can go both ways I think. I think you need to have self reflection time, like say to yourself ‘is this helping me or is this hindering me?’. Obviously if something is causing mental grief and fatigue that’s really harmful. But if it’s pushing you to do better... like i’m thinking in terms of uni work, if I can look back at something and go ‘this isn’t my best work, I can do better’, and I push myself to work harder then that’s a good thing - but only to a certain point.