🔉 Listen to Audio Excerpt:
I’m here with 29-year-old content creator from the Boston area, Andrea Tomasi. She is known for creating mental health awareness content on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. You have over 250,000 followers on TikTok and over 210,000 followers on Instagram. For those who still haven’t heard of you, can you start by telling me a bit about your journey as a content creator and how you got started?
Yes. I’ve always enjoyed posting on social media, but I started to really get into the niche of relatable content comedy and sharing my mental health just this past year and in April, a video where I basically said if I go back in time and tell the woman that stood up for our right to work to shut the fuck up, I would, and people just fell in love with the STFU series and me taking relatable scenarios that piss you off in life and make you want to tell people to shut up. So that’s kind of how it all started.
You were diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2016. You’ve been open about your mental health struggles. What motivated you to share your story publicly?
Yeah, I felt like when I was really down and not doing so well that there wasn’t anyone that I was finding really talking about the truth of it all and how it really feels to go through it. So I just wanted to tell my story and once I started to, people were engaged and once you start seeing engagement, it does inspire you to want to share more. So that’s kind of how I started sharing my story.
And you mentioned you’re known as the SDFU girl. The origin of the nickname came about from what reel that you recorded and are you surprised at how quickly one phrase caught on fire on social media?
Yes, it was the real about working and how quickly that caught on just showed me one that anything can really go viral. It doesn’t matter, as long as it just clicks with a certain group of people, it can just take off. It started going internationally. People were commenting, they were from Scotland, Ireland, all these different places and I never thought that I would be the STFU girl, but here we are and it’s been a lot of fun.
In 2016 you were diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and in 2022 you had documented your experience undergoing treatment for this in Ohio. What was your perspective like prior to getting diagnosed and then after being diagnosed, but prior to receiving treatment?
So I grew up in a family where we didn’t really talk about mental health openly. That’s just kind of how I was raised. And then that just made me think that what I was feeling wasn’t normal or accepted and I wasn’t as open about it. But once I really needed help and was opened up to my family and then sought treatment and went to a treatment center, I met people for all ages 18 through 70, 75. And it just showed me that it’s not anyone can go through a mental health issue. Doesn’t matter what age you are, gender, race, anything really, anyone can go through it.
Do people come up to you and talk to you about that?
I was actually, one of my fondest memories recently was I was in Maine with my family and someone jumped out of their car and was like, are you the TikTok girl? And we just had this great conversation. We took a picture together. But even people that I haven’t spoken to since high school have reached out and been like, you’ve helped me a lot. And little moments like that, it just means a lot and it inspires you to want to keep going and sharing.
In 2019, you adopted a close companion, your dog, Scooby, your reunion video coming out of treatment went viral. How did that experience impact you and your content creation as a whole?
Yeah, so I call that kind of my second wave. My big boost Scooby and me reuniting was after two months was a really big deal and people love dogs, people love reunions, so they just fell in love with it and that opened up more doors to talk about my mental health as well.
You talk about mental health and being a content creator I think is pretty ironic because social media is typically notoriously bad for people who are dealing with depression. It can create negative reactions, yet you have used it in a completely opposite direction. How do you feel about that?
Yeah, I mean full transparency. I think I was a consumer at a point where I was addicted to checking my social media just as a user. So now as someone who is a content creator, I’ve had to set boundaries and I don’t check every comment, I don’t check every message because with all the love comes hate and you have to just set your boundaries and know what’s good for your mental health and what isn’t.
Have you talked specifically about your experience in residential treatment for depression? Is there anything that you’ve shared or you can share about it, what that was like for someone who might be considering it?
Absolutely. I think that there is a stigma around going to a mental hospital is something that’s bad, but I didn’t even know residential treatment existed. It was more so living with 16 other people with group therapy, one-on-one therapy. You’re just in a safe space. And I encourage people to look into that if they think it could benefit them. Inpatient, there’s outpatient treatment, but residential is when you’re actually living there because I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t live my life. It all started when I couldn’t get myself to go on a family vacation. I mean, I love vacation. So that was when I just looked at my parents and I was like, I need more help. And they helped me find residential treatment and it truly saved my life.
So you reached out to your parents for it?
Yeah, I was living at home at the time and they knew what was going on, but it was always like it was the Andrea, they’d seen going through depression, anxiety since 2016. I was internalizing a lot of suicidal ideation and I really just didn’t want to be here anymore. So I kind of had to be like, Hey, I really need help this time. And that’s when my parents who were amazing and incredible took the reins, did the research and got me help. I’m very fortunate and grateful for that.
Do you think people who are talking about having suicidal thoughts are capable of that or they are just looking for help?
So I think that there’s definitely a difference between suicidal ideation and being suicidal. Suicidal is usually when you are actively having a plan and want to go through with it. I was dealing with the ideation where I knew in my gut I didn’t want to do that to myself or my friends, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I couldn’t stop thinking about not being it here anymore, how it’d be easier. And the truth is none of that was true. It was just my depression talking.
You work in your family’s business, how do you balance your work life with your social media presence?
I work from my dad’s manufacturing company. My grandfather started it when he came over from Italy, Accu Rounds Inc. And I balance it by honestly, when I’m not working, everything else is like social media. So I lock in when I go to work, I focus on that. But before work, I’ll usually post a video after work. I’m always online. So I’d say the social media, you’re never really not working, you’re always kind of searching, seeing what’s going on.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a content creator Focusing on mental health awareness?
The stigma. The stigma that some people still do think it’s attention seeking instead of sharing awareness and just helping others. I think that there’s always going to be hate comments and stuff like that that come through.
You’ve mentioned developing coping mechanisms. Do you have any strategies, strategies that you can share that have been particularly helpful for you?
I think what helped me define my coping skills was realizing that they don’t have to be these extravagant things. Like for me it’s going for a walk puzzling. I love puzzling like napping with Scooby, calling my parents. Little things that just kind of bring me back to the present instead of hyper-focusing on negatives, that really helps me.
Have you been asked to give advice or if not, what advice would you give to others who are struggling with anxiety and depression?
I think my biggest advice that I tend to give to a lot of my followers is that taking it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. Because if you start thinking of weeks, stays, months, it becomes really overwhelming. So that’s another coping skill of mine is like what’s called for now, what can I do in this moment to help me feel better than I do? And just taking it step by step has totally changed my mindset because I used to be, my dad would always say, Andrea, you’re three months ahead. Just focus on the now and it has helped a lot.
You’ve spoken about weight loss in your experiences on social media. Was this one of the causes of your depression?
It is in the sense that my relationship with my body, with food, I dealt with binge eating disorder, those were all things that were stemming from it. It’s a sensitive topic with my weight and my worth. I used to tie those two together really closely. And now as I am forming healthier habits, healthier living situations, I do see myself feeling better, but it’s a combination of a lot of work. I had to unlearn a lot of things and I’m more accepting of myself and the body that I’m living in.
You went to UCBoulder, which I know is kind of notorious for everyone being “blonde and beautiful” there.
Yeah.
Was that…?
Part of it? Oh, the people, the men and the women there and everyone was just beautiful. I think that that definitely didn’t help my insecurities and just being someone that’s only been in a few relationships, you compare yourself a lot, but I’ve done treatment really taught me a lot about how to just prioritize what really matters and I’m me. I only want to be around people that enjoy me for me and not everything comes down to your looks and your weight and stuff like that. So it’s been a lot of self-work for sure.
What are the goals for your content creation and mental health advocacy in the coming years, if you have any?
Yeah, I do have this dream of speaking at a school of some sort to people in high school because I feel like even though I didn’t get help till college things, signs were showing up in high school, even when I was a teacher, I saw it in younger kids as well. So I have this pipe dream of speaking at a school, but as goals, I just want to continue to see myself grow, reach more people, make more connections. I love human connection. I think it’s so cool. Connecting with strangers near and far and just making people smile and laugh is what matters a lot to me.
Do you have a particular meaningful interaction with follower or fan? You mentioned one to me before. Are there any others?
I spoke about this briefly earlier but going back to that again, I was in Maine with my family walking down the street and someone actually jumped out of their car to say hello to me and take a selfie and she just said, we’re all nurses, me and my friends, and you make us laugh. I had a friend from high school reach out and just say how much I’ve helped him, which meant a lot to me. It’s been easy for me to feel like I’m reaching strangers, but to also feel like you’re reaching people you grew up with, it means a lot.
How do you think social media can be better utilized as a tool for mental health awareness?
I think the more the conversation keeps going and the more that people are open about mental health, whether it’s celebrities, content creators, it just helps the viewers feel less alone. I just think the conversation needs to continue and that social media can be a great way to spread that awareness. That’s very much needed. And it’s tough too because getting help is also expensive and not everyone can access that. So that’s why I try to focus on too, just talking to people and having a conversation can be so helpful to make you feel better.
One thing I noticed or I found while looking through all of your content is that you are a singer. Is that a hobby, a hidden passion? Is it something you’d like to explore further?
Definitely a hobby. I always joke with my friends and family. Yeah, I can sing, but it depends on the song. I just kind of do it for fun, but I do enjoy it. I definitely am like a shower singer, car singer.
Alright, finally, final question. What’s next for Andrea Tomasi? Any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?
So a month ago I acquired a manager who actually works on finding me brand deals. So I’m looking forward to those deals that come about. My dream would be to do a campaign with Dunkin’. They did send Dunkin’ Donuts, they sent me a PR box. So we’ll see. We have some connection going and hopefully that can grow.
Awesome. Well thank you very much. I appreciate your time and thanks for stopping by the studio.
Absolutely. Thank you.
Andrea Tamasi can be found on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/andrea_tamasi/ as well as on Linktree at: https://bit.ly/4eGZWPH
