Elyse Myers believes talking about mental health should be easy. How easy? As easy as scrolling on TikTok.
The TikToker, who has over four million followers on the app, is known for her comedic videos recounting awkward encounters and relatable stories, but she has also used the platform for mental health awareness. More recently, she commemorated Mental Health Awareness month by reminding fans to take their medication.
"You don't actually cure yourself overnight," Elyse said in a TikTok. "That is the meds working so, keep taking 'em! Okay. Happy mental Health Awareness month."
The 28-year-old first went viral on TikTok in October 2021 with her video recalling a first date which involved ordering 100 hardshell tacos from Taco Bell and walking right through red flags. As Elyse started creating videos more consistently, she realized that she could do more than make people laugh.
"I've always loved to encourage people one-on-one in my own life—sharing my story and opening up my life like that," she told E! News. "I just thought, ‘Why am I not doing that in a space that has so many eyeballs on me? Why am I not using that platform for more than just making people laugh?'"
Realizing Her Power
Elyse started opening up about her mental health online by sharing her experience with bullying as a child. In one video, she said a teacher in middle school discouraged her from trying out for cheerleading because of her size, hinting that she may be too big for the uniform.
"I was made aware of the size of my body long before I was ever taught how to love it," she said in the TikTok from December, "and I know now as an adult that says way more about the people commenting on my appearance than it did my appearance at all."
The TikTok resonated with viewers: "Once I got feedback from people about how they had similar experiences, I realized this is something I really need to focus on and speak more about," she told E! News, "because people need it and are very hungry for somebody to shine a light on all of it."
"There's so much power in me not changing the way that I speak or the way that I dress or do my makeup, just showing up exactly the way I am," she continued. "The power I have found in giving people permission to do that in their own life has just impacted me so much. Honestly, more than probably it impacts them."
She phrased it best: "I have seen my own self-image radically become healthier," she said. "I'm reminding myself in these videos that I need to show up as myself all the time as well."
@elysemyers Your words are powerful. #coffeetalk #theadhdway #words ? original sound - Elyse Myers
Breaking the Stigma
Elyse said she wants to talk about mental health as openly as we talk about the weather in order to break down the stigma behind mental health.
For example, she said, "It's hot outside and also, I had a panic attack. What did you have for lunch?"
"It's not weird," she said. "You shouldn't feel ashamed of how you're feeling."
Elyse shared that she has been in-and-out of treatment throughout her whole life, going to therapy and taking medications to help her mental health. Yet, talking about it used to be "very hush-hush" growing up.
"You didn't talk about panic attacks in public," she said. "Like you went to the bathroom, washed your face, and you didn't say anything about it. And I felt like that made it so much worse."
Instead of letting things bubble up, Elyse is using TikTok to flip the script. She said she simply shares messages on TikTok that have helped her in her everyday life.
For example, in a March video, she shared an experience where someone at a previous job acted negatively towards her and she replied, "I do not receive that" to reject the negative energy in her life. Elyse said that when fans see her in public, they often share how that one message changed their life.
"I never know what's going to kind of connect with people," Elyse said, "but it's very obvious very quickly that something is powerful for people, and they'll use it in their life."
@elysemyers Say it with me: “I do not receive that.” #coffeetalk #theadhdway #absolutelynot ? original sound - Elyse Myers
From Web Development to TikTok to...
Before TikTok, Elyse started a web design business in 2018 called Myers Web Development. She called it her "love-of-my-life career." Along with her business, she made TikToks for fun. One day, her Taco Bell date video went viral and things changed.
"TikTok kind of happened on accident," she said. It felt like "the perfect storm" where all the creative and technological skills she learned throughout her life all collided into a career on the video sharing app. So, she ended up giving up her web development business.
"Being able to write my story in a way that connects to people when they see themselves in it," she explained. "It feels oddly perfect."
Now, she's taking her ventures to new mediums. Elyse told E! News that she's developing an upcoming podcast, working with production companies to start writing a movie and thinking about going on tour. Beyond her current plans, she hopes to write a book or TV show.
She said, "I'm excited to kind of show the world different pieces of me and my story that are not limited to, you know, a three minute video."
While Elyse explores new creative projects, she said she will always keep creating content for TikTok "because that's how it got me here."
As she continues to create content that destigmatizes mental health care, she feels proud of all she's accomplished and the people she's been able to connect with.
"The more I share my stories, the more people have felt safe to open up to me and to people in their life," Elyse said. "I felt so accepted."