"TikTok Star's Battle with Mental Health and the Need for a Break"
Reasons for the Break
Afualo, who is 29 years old and has built a media empire with a hit podcast and a best-selling book, shared that her journey on TikTok has been difficult. She started posting after getting fired, which made her feel like she was not enough. Through therapy, she realized that her validation should come from herself, not from her accomplishments. However, in the last year, she lost sight of this and felt constantly pressured to fit into everyone's idea of perfection.She described how she is seen in different roles on the app - the perfect content creator, influencer, ally, activist, and feminist. This constant pressure became suffocating, and she started to believe that she would never be enough. As a result, her mental health deteriorated to the point where she was physically unwell and almost had to be hospitalized.
Afualo emphasized that her break is not due to hate or vitriol from bigots or misogynists. She loves her followers and the community she has built but needs time to focus on herself and her well-being.
Return and the Promise
Despite taking a break, Afualo is committed to returning. She hopes that time away will help her realize her good and that she is a good person. She compared her situation to being in a burning building and found the exit. She will hold the door open but also needs to protect herself.She expressed her gratitude for the platform and the community and promised to come back stronger. She ended her video with a plea to her fans to take care of each other.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.