In Honor of World Mental Health Day, Ellie Thumann Shares a Grounded, Self-Care Day in Her Life

The SI Swimsuit model took fans along through her mindful, intentional practices in an Instagram story takeover.

Ellie Thumann was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Ellie Thumann is best known for her lifestyle, beauty, and fashion YouTube channel, but what has truly set her apart as a content creator is the deep connection she shares with her fans. Having started posting in 2014, the 22-year-old’s followers have grown up alongside her over the last decade. Through her candid conversations about mental health and her openness around anxiety struggles, she has built a close-knit community and cemented herself as a comfort creator in a super saturated market.

In honor of World Mental Health Day, the two-time SI Swimsuit model shared her perfect mental health day during an Instagram story takeover for the brand.

“I think it’s so important to honor yourself on a day like today and really reflect on your own mental health and things that you can do to actively help [yourself],” Thumann stated. “I wanted to take you guys on a little bit of a self-care day and show you what I do to honor my mental health every day.”

The Arizona native has made it a priority to stay off her phone in the mornings, as it can cause her to feel overwhelmed and anxious when the first thing her eyes see in the a.m. is a bright screen.

“Grounding myself in the mornings is so important. I tend to wake up extremely anxious and a lot of the times don’t have any answer for why. I do a self-meditation, read a book, or go on a walk where you can really be present with yourself,” she wrote.

Ellie Thumann / Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images

Before indulging in a delicious iced coffee, Thumann takes her supplements with a tall glass of water. She avoids starting her day with caffeine to prevent increasing her cortisol levels. Later, she makes her coffee and heads out for a hot girl walk that is “healing for the soul.” Thumann enjoys listening to the Jay Shetty podcast for insightful conversations on mental health.

When her schedule allows, the 22-year-old attends a reformer Pilates workout class. “Low-impact workouts filled with stretching, mindfulness and toning has done wonders on my mornings. This sets me up to be super present with myself for the day and to feel strong,” she explained.

The model is really good about being intentional with her day and creating a routine for herself. As someone whose job can be quite flexible at times and super hectic at others, sticking to a routine has been helpful for Thumann. Even something as simple as running errands and checking items off her to-do list can make for a productive self-care day. Thumann also took to her own personal Instagram story to share several mental health resources and statistics with her 1.4 million followers.