Let’s be real: Instagram can be a negative place. It’s no wonder we find ourselves overwhelmed and wanting to throw our phones across the room. But, as is with most problems, a positive outlook is the best solution.
In fact, 28-year-old Poppy Jamie has had enough of waiting to feel good. She’s flipped the script by creating her own brand. And spreading an uplifting, positive message in an often shaky online world.
Happy Not Perfect now has over 58,000 Instagram followers with an app that is making mindfulness simple. Here, she reveals how she uses her positive platform for good…
Can you explain how Happy Not Perfect Came About?
Following a career as a TV host and a relentless schedule traveling between London and LA, I was trying (and failing) to balance my work, social life and the modern pressures of social media ‘perfection’. This all culminated in total burnout. At this stage, I realised I had to do something to help other people look after their minds.
I spent four years meeting the world’s top experts in mindfulness, neuroscience, personal development and bio-hacking coaches, and quickly understood I wasn’t the only one who needed help with the everyday life stresses. Alongside my incredibly talented team, we turned decades of knowledge and understanding into one simple brand. In 2017, Happy Not Perfect was born.
How has Instagram helped spread your positive message?
Instagram allows us to connect with so many people instantly. Whether this be through regular posts, interactive Stories, or answering customer questions, we have found Instagram creates a place for our community to interact with us and each other. The initial idea for Happy Not Perfect actually stemmed from social media engagement on my personal account, where my followers shared their understanding and appreciation for everyday life stresses. Today we have tens of thousands of followers who turn to us for daily wisdom, weekly pick-me-ups and posts to tag friends in to make them feel better too.
Was sharing such a positive, empowering message always a part of your mission?
Yes, our mission has always been a dedication to “making people feel happier from the inside out” and we try to do this in a simple, digestible way. We’ve always tried to reflect this on our social media channels, and I believe this has been part of the reason we have such an optimistic community.
We love the positive quotes you share – how do you choose them?
Our incredible team really tries hard to find quotes that we haven’t read too many times before. We love surprising our followers with new nuggets of wisdom to make their day better. We find quotes that are authentic, a little more tongue in cheek or focus on self love and self care get shared the most. I think it shows how people want to see a sense of humour and realness!
Social media also has the power to knock our confidence – what’s your advice for tackling the comparison trap?
The old age saying, “comparison is the thief of all joy” couldn’t be more true! Without realising it, we quickly compare other people’s ‘outsides’ to our ‘insides’ and of course, a shiny filtered feed of highlights distorts real life quickly. Remember this daily: social media isn’t an accurate reflection of someone’s internal life. I find it very important to limit my ‘scrolling time’ and avoid all social media in the morning. To kick the habit of reaching for my phone when I wake up to look on Instagram, I complete the happiness work out instead. You can be in control of how you feel so try focusing on social media as a tool for connecting with people in a positive way can be game-changing.
Thank you, Poppy! We’re feeling less stressed already.
