TikToker Sam Souder makes a living sharing fashion and lifestyle content online \u2014 but she\u2019s also using her platform to talk about mental health.<\/p>\n
Peppered right alongside her outfit of the day and product review videos are Souder\u2019s \u201cday in my life with depression\u201d TikToks<\/a>, in which Souder shows how she manages her life while living with depression. The quick videos, set to Audrey Hobert\u2019s pop song \u201cSue me,\u201d show Souder going about her day: waking up late in the morning, taking her medication and getting work done even as she quietly struggles with symptoms like procrastination, exhaustion and executive functioning issues.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old New Jersey-based creator was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when she was in high school and has been in therapy for more than 10 years. But to the outside world, Souder may not appear like she\u2019s struggling at all \u2014 which is why the influencer tells Yahoo it\u2019s so important for her to be transparent about the reality of her mental health.<\/p>\n “I thought it was a fun and lighthearted way to introduce the topic,\u201d Souder told Yahoo. \u201cI feel very privileged that I\u2019m able to do influencing and these kinds of things. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about mental health without sounding like you’re complaining \u2014 there is a very fine line, and I\u2019m so grateful for everything I\u2019ve been able to do because of this job. This is one way I\u2019ve been able to express how my day-to-day or my feelings unfold without being on a soapbox.”<\/p>\n Souder said that she\u2019s been struggling with her mental health more than usual recently, which has made her job as a full-time influencer more challenging \u2014 but has also given her a window to explore what her real life is like, as opposed to only sharing the highlight reel. That means using TikTok to show when she was unable to get out of bed for hours or even sharing a video of her messy bedroom that she felt too overwhelmed to clean.<\/p>\n “It just didn\u2019t feel organic or right to come on here and, like, do my makeup and post outfits and try to act like everything was normal, when really, the depression I was having \u2014 and am still having \u2014 affects a lot of my thoughts and my day-to-day life,\u201d Souder explained. \u201cSince I\u2019m a lifestyle influencer and I post about what I do every day, it just made sense to start sharing that part of my life more organically \u2014 like without makeup on, still in bed, those kinds of things.\u201d<\/p>\n The feedback to these videos has been \u201cvery, very positive,\u201d Souder said. Her TikTok followers comment things on her videos like, \u201cThank you for being so transparent,\u201d and, \u201cI\u2019ve been struggling hard with my depression for months now. Big win for you getting out of the house! Haven\u2019t been out from mine in a minute lol.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople were just like, ‘I’m right there with you,’ and said it helped them feel a little less alone,\u201d Souder said of her comments. \u201cBecause the thing about depression \u2014 it’s a very, very lonely condition.\u201d<\/p>\n