Mental Health and Dream Jobs

Relationships with celebrities and public figures on social media can be complicated, to say the least. They’re glamorous, rich, and doing their dream careers, but are also relatable and remind us that even the most extravagant of people are human. It’s a combination of helping us realize what we can achieve and what we can do with our lives, but makes it very easy to compare ourselves to those with makeup and stylist teams, not to mention making us vulnerable to developing parasocial relationships with them.

This past week, Jesy Nelson left her girl group Little Mix and Mako left his gaming group The Mob (part of 100 Thieves) due to the negative impact that their careers were having on their mental health. There’s a lot to be said about their decisions to leave their respective groups and how social media played a role. For example, Jesy has been open about how she’s frequently the victim of cyberbullying and online trolls to the point of suicidality, while Mako has talked about how being a content creator wasn’t for him and how the lifestyle was contributing to him feeling unstable and that he’s now seeking therapy. We could also talk about how social media has given them the opportunity to be open with their fans about their mental health – like many celebrities and content creators today – not just to help their fans feel less alone, but as an outlet for themselves.

This week however, we wanted to talk about how you could be working toward, working in, or even just considering about how to go about your dream job, but you have to make sure to put your mental health first, just like Jesy and Mako. It doesn’t even have to be as big wanting to be a popstar, or fun as streaming games, but if you’re working towards something that requires a lot of effort and time, it can be easy to believe that the more you focus on your goals, the sooner and likelier you are to achieve them. Even if you accomplish your dream job, it can also easy to believe that only good will happen. Social media can contribute to this, with the accounts you may be following that are related to your field constantly trying to inspire you and give you opportunities. However, you have to remember that you’re human too, and if you don’t take a step back every now and again to make sure you’re feeling okay, you can quickly burnout. Your brain won’t care where you are in your career journey. 

What is your dream job? What are career goals that you’re considering? Do you follow accounts about them, or big names who are in that field? When you’re in the zone when working on something you’re passionate about, how is your mental health?