Student Burnout, Self-Criticism & Kindness | Elaine Beaumont

In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, I sit down with psychotherapist Dr Elaine Beaumont to explore the growing pressures facing young adults — especially university students — and how self-criticism, shame, and burnout are shaping their mental health.We discuss how social media, comparison, and constant connectivity are impacting young people’s inner worlds, and why kindness may be a powerful starting point for change. Elaine shares insights from her clinical work, her research on self-compassion and burnout, and her experience teaching students in the helping professions.We also explore the difference between kindness and compassion, how Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) can help people work with self-criticism, and how practical tools like The Kindness Workbook and the Self-Compassion App are helping people build compassion in everyday life.And toward the end, we meet Roy — a therapy dog bringing compassion to life in a very real and embodied way.Key Topics:. Self-criticism and shame in young adults. Student burnout and mental health. Social media and comparison. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). Kindness vs compassion. Self-compassion app and research. Animal-assisted therapy and wellbeingIf you’re interested in self-compassion, student wellbeing, burnout, or how to work with your inner critic, this conversation is for you.Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and guest intro03:06 Young adults under pressure06:53 Social media comparison trap10:14 Role models and playfulness14:36 Algorithms and world anxiety18:44 Perfectionism and burnout23:36 Self-compassion app insights27:06 Kindness workbook and values30:18 Kindness starts within31:38 Kindness versus compassion32:46 Inside the Kindness Workbook33:31 Kindness Crusaders artwork35:17 Korea recognition and reach36:44 When kindness becomes compassion38:56 Fear blocks to self-compassion42:52 Self-compassion app results47:12 Roy and therapy dog work53:56 Dogs as compassionate friends56:04 Final thanks and resourcesLinks:Dr Elaine Beaumont’s website:https://beaumontpsychotherapy.co.uk/The Kindness Workbook (Beaumont & Welford, 2021)https://www.hachette.com.au/elaine-beaumont-mary-welford/the-kindness-workbook-creative-and-compassionate-ways-to-boost-your-wellbeingThe Compassionate Mind Workbook (Irons & Beaumont, 2017)https://www.hachette.com.au/chris-irons-elaine-beaumont/the-compassionate-mind-workbook-a-step-by-step-guide-to-developing-your-compassionate-selfThe Self-Compassion Apphttps://beaumontpsychotherapy.co.uk/self-compassion-app/Evaluating the impact the Self-Compassion App has on levels of compassion, psychological distress and well-being (Beaumont et al., 2024)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/capr.12841A Qualitative Study Exploring the Impact the Self-Compassion App Has on Levels of Compassion, Self-Criticism, and Wellbeing (Beaumont et al., 2022)https://www.lidsen.com/journals/icm/icm-07-03-045Roy the Labradorhttps://www.instagram.com/walkswithroy/Social media age restrictions hubhttps://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions-hub Early wins for the social media ban, new survey claims. But the full picture is far more complicated (Sawyer & Lin, 2026)https://theconversation.com/early-wins-for-the-social-media-ban-new-survey-claims-but-the-full-picture-is-far-more-complicated-278768If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/ Say hi on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drstansteindl Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StanSteindl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_stan_steindl/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-steindl-150a5264/ Website: https://www.stansteindl.com/ YouTube Video URL: https://youtu.be/nU9b-mfYKVg *Affiliate Disclaimer: Note this description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in no way obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support! Hashtags:selfcompassion, studentmentalhealth, compassionfocusedtherapy, burnoutrecovery, kindnessmatters, mentalhealthsupport