Influencer Ellie Thumann Shares Mental Health Tips for a Happy Holiday Season

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie opens up about how she prioritizes her well-being during this time of year.

Ellie Thumann was photographed by Derek Kettela in Puerto Rico.Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Day 11 of SI Swimsuit’s 12 Days of Swimsuit. Embark on a daily journey with us over this time, as we present exclusive features with your beloved SI Swimsuit models. Delve into a festive blend of holiday style, beauty insights, and invigorating workouts adaptable to any locale. Our SI Swimsuit models graciously share their top-notch advice tailored for the season. Stay tuned and celebrate the holidays in style with SI Swimsuit.

Ellie Thumann, a 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie, is always keeping it real with her fans. Perhaps that is the secret to her success—the influencer, who is best known for her fashion, beauty and lifestyle YouTube account, has grown her channel to more than 2.18 million subscribers.

She’s also slowly building her Instagram and TikTok platforms to 2.2 million followers and counting, with her consistent outfit pics, behind the scenes modeling clips, interior design inspo and love for the holidays.

But, her authenticity and vulnerability in sharing all moments—good, bad, messy and tough—is what really captivates her audience and has made her brand so appealing and long-lasting: the 21-year-old began creating content at the age of 14, and she loves it as much today as she did then.

Beyond the glitz and glamour of her online presence and life as an influencer, the Arizona native, who has an older sister (with whom she now lives in Charleston, S.C.) and a younger brother, often opens up about her mental health struggles and shares tips on how she personally deals with life’s unexpected curveballs.

We caught up with the model, who was photographed by Derek Kettela in Puerto Rico for the 2023 issue, on setting boundaries, communicating your needs, unplugging from social media and spending lots of time with family over the holidays.

Remain calm and create routine

Thumann, who is super close to her parents and siblings, recognizes that spending an extended amount of quality time, especially when you live in different states as your loved ones most of the year, can be difficult.

“I think with traveling home, I definitely find a lot of peace and tools for my mental health with creating a routine, whether that’s going on walks, doing my workout classes, being able to cook for myself, having my journals, keeping up with my friends…,” she shares. “I know with the holidays and being home, it’s kind of a weird feeling of ‘I don’t live here anymore even though it’s home.’ You’re not necessarily in your space or routine that you’ve created for yourself, [so] bringing as much of [your regular] routine as possible is a big one.”

When family tensions arise, Thumann suggests “removing yourself from a situation before you respond to it.”

She adds that the dynamic is always different, even if you’re happy to be home, because you are used to living independently away from your family. So, if she‘s not able to go on a hot girl walk for whatever reason, Thumann likes to listen to a meditation playlist on Spotify.

Communicate your needs

Thumann adds that her biggest tip is figuring out the ways in which your own anxiety comes out, because it‘s so different for each person. She suggests being transparent and letting people know if you need to talk and get things off your chest, or if you are someone who prefers a bit of space.

“Something that I’m relearning in a whole new way recently is figuring out how [my] anxiety comes out and what that looks like, whether it’s like physical symptoms or thoughts jumbled up in your head,” she continues. “Some people when they’re anxious need a minute to themselves and don’t want to speak. Some need to be able to talk right away. So once you identify what you need, you can find the proper people in your life, whether that be your mom, your sister, your best friend, someone [who] knows you really well, and communicate [your needs] to them.”

Be understanding

Thumann makes it a point to return the same respect to her family members and friends that they give to her.

“I think it can go both ways too, having that open communication. Once you realize that it is such an individual thing, you won’t take other people’s ways of coping with [their own mental health] so personal or as like something against you,” she explains.

She adds that having to deal with your own issues while in a shared space or during a time of year that is supposed to be super joyous and special is understandably uncomfortable.

“Sometimes it can feel like a burden and that’s like the worst feeling in the world for yourself when you have stuff on your mind and you just want to get it out to someone but you feel like other people have stuff going on, especially during the holidays,” she shares, and reminds us that it’s all in your own head. “At the end of the day, your loved ones will always prioritize you and what you need.”

Unplug from social media

Thumann knows that with the holidays comes a lot of free time, meaning more time for doom scrolling and comparison on social media. She mentions that she lost her grandfather last winter, and it was a tough Thanksgiving and Christmas for her family. She found herself comparing the way her holiday season looked to others and it was not a great headspace to be in.

Thumann is, however, in a much better place today, and she knows that the way things appear on social media are not always an accurate reflection of what’s going on in real life. Plus, the best way to avoid internal comparison is to just get off your phone entirely and spend valuable time with your loved ones.

“I’d look at how different my two holidays [on social media and in real life] were and it was really hard for me to be [online] and see other friends of mine or people that I follow having these like amazing holiday situations,” she recalls. “Everything can look super perfect and I think it’s important to be in the moment and focused on the family around you and the conversations being had there. [It’s easier to do that] when you’re not so tuned in on what looks good and how you can snap the perfect picture.”

Thumann likes to mute her notifications and set time limits to curb her social media usage. She posts what and when she wants to whenever it feels good and authentic to be sharing a certain aspect of her life.

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