Jessica Ann Baker on Mental Health and Navigating Adult Friendships
BY SOPHIE CHUNG
Get ready for a no-nonsense wake-up call.
27 OCT - 2026
This might be exactly what you needed to read today.
In an age where hyper-connection paradoxically fosters isolation, navigating adult friendships, mental health, and self-discovery can feel challenging, to say the least. For those who are feeling alone, Jessica Ann Baker offers a refreshing and grounded perspective. As the founder of the mental health organisation ‘everyday’ and a psychology research thesis writer, Jess translates complex academic research into easily accessible and digestible advice for everyday life.
In this candid Q&A, she shares her insights on breaking down relationship patterns, managing expectations with friends and the humbling reality of living out the very advice she preaches.
What was happening in your own life when you decided to start Everyday Solitude?
I was young, creative and sick of branding meaningless products. I thought surely there was a way to merge the worlds of human connection and branding!
How do you decide which studies or research to feature? What's your process for translating academic research into everyday advice?
I basically have little to no strategy! It’s a combination of inspiration, current research, and everyday issues that I hear about time and time again. I tend to look at what the research says about the challenges most of us face and then translate those findings into something accessible, relatable, and easy to digest. I think there’s so much valuable research out there, but it’s often buried in academic language. My goal is to make that knowledge accessible and applicable to everyday life.
"We can’t change people. Think of how hard it is to change yourself, then think about what it's like trying to change people instead."
What's the most common friendship struggle people bring to you?
Probably some form of frustration or disappointment with their friends. But I think what often sits underneath that is a lack of acceptance. Acceptance of their friends’ behaviours, circumstances, choices, or even the way the friendship has changed over time.
I think a lot of our pain comes from struggling to accept things as they are, rather than how we wish they would be. And when it comes to other people, the reality is that we simply cannot change them, even our closest friends.
That doesn’t mean we have to tolerate behaviour that hurts us, but there’s a difference between setting boundaries and expecting someone to become a different person.
I think learning that distinction is a really important part of navigating adult friendships.
Has running this account changed how you personally approach your own friendships/relationships?
Yeah, I guess a lot of the time I write, research or encourage others to do things or show up in ways, and then I am super challenged that I, myself am not doing that. More than anything, it's humbling, over and over again.
What's one relationship pattern you see repeatedly that people don't realise is unhealthy until it's named?
Probably the fact that we think we can change people! We can’t change people. Think of how hard it is to change yourself, then think about what it's like trying to change people instead.
Has the community ever taught you something that changed your own thinking?
Definitely. I have been reminded that we all have different upbringings, lived experiences, and perspectives, so I do not always know what’s best for people.
What does a good day look like for you?
Up, reflecting, moving, getting presentable, being prepared, having boundaries, being there for my friends/family and staying in reality. Lol!
What's something about mental health content creation that people don't see from the outside?
The fact that constantly advocating for mental health can sometimes come at the expense of your own. There's a certain irony in dedicating so much of your time and energy to supporting other people's wellbeing that you can end up neglecting your own.
If someone only followed one piece of advice you've ever shared, what would you want it to be?
That you are allowed to change your mind!
Best advice you’ve ever received?
That you are allowed to change your mind!
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