Perfectionism ft. Sophia Taveras

Perfectionism is something many people struggle with, especially students. Skin, weight, and insecurities can be even more impactful to perfectionists because it disrupts the "perfect body image."

Recently, I came across Cognitive Core, a blog and Instagram page that talks about neuroscience and mental health. Sophia Taveras founded Cognitive Core, a student-led organization that focuses on neuroscience. Cognitive Core also has a blog and posts on social media to help individuals achieve optimal brain health. Sophia says, "I founded Cognitive Core because it was pretty difficult for me to find other students interested in neuroscience, and I wanted to create a safe environment for other students to pursue their passion in neuroscience." Go check out Cognitive Core at @cognitiveecoreorg on Instagram!

When asked about how perfectionism can hurt one's mental health, she replied, "Perfectionism can hurt our mental health because it will convince you that anything you do is not enough and it can cause an extreme amount of irreversible stress and anxiety to form. We can avoid perfectionism by telling ourselves that nothing is perfect and we all make mistakes. We should also embrace our mistakes." In the long run, perfectionism may cause more damage than help as it can lead to other mental health issues. Sophia adds, "I can share that putting too much pressure on ourselves as students can be more detrimental than we think." While many schools around the world are competitive and put stress on students, it is important to remember the effects of that stress and find ways to calm down and take care of yourself.

Sophia has also studied music's effect on the brain! She says, "The music we listen to matters, and it affects our emotions. For example, listening to sad music causes you to feel sad. Listening to upbeat music would make you feel better." This is interesting to me because, after a breakup or sad event, many people's instinct is to listen to sad music. But maybe if they listened to upbeat music, they could cope and feel better faster!

When asked to give her best advice, Sophia answered, "I would say my best piece of advice would be don't underestimate your mind. As students, our minds are being shaped, so we should be careful with who we surround ourselves with, the things we watch and listen to, and how we treat our brains. Our mind is the most valuable thing we have, so you have to know the power of your mind."

To close off, remember your value, and remember that being perfect is nearly impossible. A mindset of always reaching for "perfect" can be detrimental to the brain, especially at early ages when the brain is still developing. Listen to happy music when you're sad, and embrace your mistakes. Thank you Sophia for collaborating on this blog, and everyone follow Cognitive Core!