Iris- Perfect on Paper: When School Pressure Cracks the Person
Iris (she/they) has just completed Year Eleven, dealing with pressure, deadlines, and overwhelming expectations. As well as finding her identity, she found herself juggling ambition and an emotional toll that became too heavy to ignore.
In this honest episode, Aidan sits down with Iris to talk about the mental strain that often comes with growing up, especially when it feels like you're supposed to have it all together. Together, they explore perfectionism, academic stress, teacher pressure, and the quiet burnout that comes from always being the one others rely on for advice.
They also unpack the strain of friend fallouts, how expectations from others and ourselves can damage our wellbeing, and what it means to fall apart quietly behind closed doors. Iris brings humanity and humour to a conversation about trying to be everything to everyone while slowly learning to be kind to yourself.
This episode is for anyone who’s felt like they’re failing simply by not coping, and a reminder that mental health challenges are real, valid, and deserving of space.
If you or someone else you know requires mental health support at any time, no matter what, remember it is important to never suffer in silence. Be a part of the change and start talking. Below are the helplines listed in the episode:
Samaritans📞 116 123 (Free, 24/7)
SHOUT📲 Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 (Free, 24/7)
Mind📞 0300 123 3393 or text 86463
Papyrus HOPELINE247 (for people under 35)📞 0800 068 41 41 / Text 07860 039 967
Childline (for under 19s)📞 0800 1111 (Free, 24/7)
Listen to the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0SSoDKfO6aDrrkkLDyGNf5?si=oYbuUNtNRXOBTgmPDACQKQ
