Elyse Myers’ viral content on TikTok has cemented her position as the biggest mental health advocate on the platform — and she is ramping up those discussions for Mental Health Awareness month.
With over 4.6 million followers on TikTok, Elyse Myers is one of the most popular content creators on the short-form video app. Taking inspiration from comedians like Nate Bargatze, Chris Farley, and Martin Shore, Elyse has formed her own unique style of storytelling.
While her videos span a variety of topics, one of the greatest things she’s gained popularity for is her focus on making mental health conversations “as normal as talking about the weather.”
For Mental Health Awareness month, we were able to sit down with Elyse Myers, who revealed how she juggles her mental health as one of TikTok’s biggest mental health advocates, as well as what inspired her to begin creating such content.
Elyse told us: “I have always wanted to be able to talk about someone freely about my mental health and not have it be weird. I grew up in a neighborhood and community where it wasn’t always okay, it was embarrassing and a little bit shameful. It just wasn’t something you talked about. “I found that to be so incredibly isolating because the things I struggle with today were very much still a thing when I was younger, I just couldn’t talk about it and I didn’t know how to ask for help. When I did, it was very much a ‘wash your face and move on’ type of thing,” she added. “I just remembered as a kid thinking that it would be so much easier if I could just talk about it and move on with my life. I felt like the only person that ever dealt with anxiety and panic attacks.”
Elyse’s goal is to make it so nobody believes it is an off-limits topic in their life and wants to see it become as normal as sharing what you had for lunch.
Elyse Myers’ own struggles with mental health as a TikToker
The creator has been open about her struggles with anxiety, ADHD, and being an introvert in her videos. This creates a situation where she must balance her own mental health while also being available to her dedicated community… It’s not so easy.
When it comes to her follower count, the TikToker revealed that due to gaining popularity during the global health situation, it still doesn’t feel real.
“There’s not been a lot of time where I’ve been face to face with this following that I’ve found and these people who are consuming my content regularly,” Elyse told us. “So in some ways, it’s like those numbers arent real in a funny way. Those numbers don’t make sense to my brain, it cant understand that millions of people are watching what I say and are taking it to heart.”
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https://www.tiktok.com/@elysemyers/video/7093928124387331374?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6916636174712325638
She added: “In some ways, it doesn’t affect it at all because I’m so removed from the realness of the people. But then in other ways, it’s the coolest and hardest thing for your mental health.
“When you are faced with the reality of how many people are watching you every day, being an introvert with social and regular anxiety, it can be really overwhelming.”
Even though it can be overwhelming, Elyse made sure it was clear that she loves what she provides on TikTok.
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She explained: “It’s such an honor, it really is, and I don’t take it lightly. I’m just kind of figuring it out but it can feel really overwhelming. I’m nervous to say the wrong thing, nervous to not represent someone well, to not do right by someone or make them proud by this space and that’s all I want. I want to add value to people’s life.”
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https://www.tiktok.com/@elysemyers/video/7090877008707587371?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6916636174712325638
“It can feel really heavy sometimes for me to not want to do the wrong thing and just do right by people. In that kind of way, it does take a toll and it takes me checking in with myself, my husband, my therapist, journaling, and all the things that people do to stay mentally healthy,” she added.
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“I have to make sure I stay on top of those because everything I do is so public, I can’t afford to not take care of myself first because there are so many people relying on me to be here. To keep encouraging, to keep creating content that makes them laugh and make their day lighter, and be their friend.”
Her biggest struggle with ‘fame’
There are also two big struggles she’s faced becoming a creator with such a large fan base.
“It’s so cool though because it allows me to have an opportunity to connect with people in a way that I can’t offline. But, I’ve always been someone that struggles with social interactions. Just the day-to-day is hard. Now to have a face with a full style that people recognize and people come up to me in public, that’s something I never thought I would have to deal with.
“I’ve learned how to just ask for patience and be like ‘You know, my son is melting down. I wish I could connect more, but I can’t, I’m so sorry but thank you so much for your support.’ I’m learning that I can’t give everything to everybody all of the time, I won’t have anything left for my family. If we’re not good, nothing is good. “
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https://www.tiktok.com/@elysemyers/video/7091846920791952683?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6916636174712325638
Another challenge has been her mission to level up the content she produces, in fear of their fanbase losing interest – a feeling that will resonate with even the top streamers and TikTokers.
She said: “I struggle with comparing myself to myself almost to my detriment. Being a content creator and putting stuff out every day, with my anxiety I can feel like I’m always behind, I’m not doing enough, I’m not giving enough, and I need to do more.
“Because my life is so public, I’m scared I’m going to lose people’s favor. I get fearful that I’m going to get boring to people but that’s just fear, it’s not reality. I’d rather not burn out, so I need to not believe those intrusive thoughts.”
Elyse Myers shares advice for TikTok success
Elyse also had a few words of advice for aspiring content creators to help with their mental health struggles, which she was elated to share.
“Don’t feel like you have to alter yourself or your content or your story to be more digestible for people. You don’t owe anybody that kind of edit and power over your life,” she explained.
“The more you can actually talk about things that are happening in your life, the more you can create content that is truthful and honest and something that you’re passionate about, and the more you can create from an authentic place — the more joy you are going to find in it, and the less you’re going to burn out. The more you’re gonna find yourself accepting who you are, the more you’re gonna fall in love with who you are in your life.”
Some of the biggest struggles in content creation involve mental health, whether it be just a day of feeling like you’re not worth it or not doing enough, or more long-term thoughts.
This writer has had his fair share of struggles with mental health throughout the years as well, and one of the best things he’s ever done was to begin talking about it — just like Elyse Myers does to over four million people.
For Mental Health Awareness Month 2022, let’s work together to make talking about mental health just as normal as sharing the weather forecast or telling a friend what you had for lunch.