Personal Stories: A Letter from Sophie Jayne

My content reflects what it’s like in real time as I bring my viewers along to experience a lot of the highs. But beyond the laughs and the adventures, my channel is also a space to discuss the real, vulnerable parts of life, including something I've been dealing with in the last year or two: health anxiety.

Anxiety isn't always an easy topic, especially in a world where everyone's seemingly living their best lives. I had never really heard many people talking about this online and felt like I was the only one feeling this way.

I thought maybe sharing my struggles could help someone out there feel a little less alone, because I knew if I had seen content like that, I would feel less scared about it all. So, I started to share how I was feeling, going to doctor’s appointments and doing tests, etc. — all the things that bring me the most anxiety out of anything. Sharing this not only made me feel like I was going through it all with others, but also connected me with so many of my viewers who feel the same.

It can be terrifying putting your biggest fears out for everyone to watch and criticise, and it made me feel extremely vulnerable. But if I could make one person feel like what they are going through is valid and shared, I feel my job is done. And it doesn’t have to always be mental health related; watching people laugh with their friends and bring us along on their day, regardless of how repetitive it might be, really helps to calm me down when my anxiety gets too much to handle. It’s a huge reassurance seeing people go through the things you do.

As I’ve been sharing my life online for so many years now as my work, it can be hard to draw boundaries between the two. But as I get older, I learn more about what I’m happy to share, like the fun stuff or whatever feels good to me, and what I’d like to keep relatively private. I’ll continue sharing the real, vulnerable, happy, sad, and everything-in-between parts of my life, and continue building a community who share the same values. My goal for my channel is for all of us to feel less alone in going through this weird thing we call life together.

YouTube isn't just a platform anymore; it's like a lifeline. For me and for many others, it's a place where we find comfort, understanding, and a sense of belonging. I’ve received beautiful comments saying that I have helped people feel less alone with their anxiety, and I've discovered that sharing the highs and lows creates a web of connection that stretches across the globe; it’s something everyone goes through.

What I love most about the content I watch on YouTube is when the creators I watch feel like my friend — so this is what I try and aim for with my own content, whether that’s a 30-minute vlog of my week, or a 15-second Sunday reset Shorts video. I want my audience to simply do life with me, just as they would with their friends.

So it’s probably a no-brainer that my community has become my favourite part about being on YouTube. The fact that I get to have best friends all around the world – that will never not be insane to me. From the incredibly sweet comments I receive to meeting them in real life, I love feeling like I found my kind of people to do life with.

I want it to be a reminder to everyone (and myself) that we are never too old to have fun, be silly and spontaneous, and get what you want out of life. Just like the creators I watch when I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious, I want people to finish watching my content feeling lighter, reassured, and perhaps with a smile on their faces.

Speaking of other creators I watch, some of my favs include my friends Georgia Richards and Rachel Catherine, book content creators like Steph Bohrer, Sara Carroli, and Destiny Sidwell, and my all-time favourite comfort YouTube creator Zoe Sugg; they are all the epitome of why I love YouTube! Whether you're watching for a laugh, a moment of understanding, or just to escape reality for a while, know that you're not alone because you have all of us here with you.