Mental health is a topic that people tend not to talk about in today’s society. Discussions about depression and anxiety are limited in nearly every social media platform. And in some cases, it is rare for those that do discuss these issues to gain the recognition they deserve. There is one person in particular that strives to educate his community about mental health through Tik-Tok.
Simon Kim is a young Tik-Tok influencer that decided to use this social platform in order to encourage and support young adults struggling with mental health and wellness and build a brand known as Keep It Wholesome.
The Teen Magazine was given the opportunity to talk with this inspiring young man about being an advocate and content creator for mental health and wellness.
@wholesomesimon the hardest roads lead to the most beautiful destinations
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“The main goal of ‘Keep it Wholesome’ is to save lives. To get the message out there that it will get better. And I think that through Tik-Tok we have been able to build this amazing community.”
Simon isn’t driven by the number of views or likes he receives on his videos. He is driven by the idea of changing someone’s life through a single message.
Background
Prior to the creation of his mental health channel, Simon rose to fame through his comedic sketches and lip-syncing videos. As his fame progressed, he began to create more in-depth videos about important topics such as sadness, depression, and anxiety. Following the creation of his videos, Simon felt obligated to use his messages to save lives.
Mental Health
Since starting his account, Simon Kim has gained a deeper insight into the concept of mental health, especially in youth. “Everyone deals with different things,” Kim stated. “So it is important to realize that than just say ‘this kid isn’t actually depressed’ or ‘this kid isn’t actually going to do something’ when you can’t know that. And a lot of younger kids nowadays are going through a lot more than a long time ago. I have come to realize that. There are actually a lot of younger kids dealing with depression and anxiety, and it is a real problem.”
“It is important to realize that everything is temporary. Temporary waves of sadness happen, temporary waves of happiness happen. But it is important to realize that you are going to live a lot longer, you’re going to live to be like a hundred years old.
So a bad week, a bad day, a bad year isn’t that much compared to that. If you try to keep that positive mindset, in a sense, you can keep improving yourself. Because of that, you can live a better life.”
@wholesomesimon Repost bc I messed it up sorry! ❤️❤️ ##keepitwholesome i love you so much
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When asked how he maintains his positive mindset during this difficult time in history, Simon Kim mentioned that through various activities such as running every day and creating more videos, he has been able to develop a sense of control. Simon went on to describe how any individual can be able to maintain a positive mindset.
“We can’t control that this virus happened and we’re in quarantine. We have no control over that. You try to limit that effect on you because it is something that you can’t control.
Instead, you focus on what you can control. I think you have to find out what you can control and where you’re spending your time. And eventually what that leads to is finding a passion. And once you find a passion, that’s what is going to keep you fulfilled and keep you occupied. Because the biggest problem is that being bored and being static can lead to a lot of self-doubts.”
For many individuals, the idea of a positive mindset may be difficult to achieve. It is essential that every individual finds a sense of control within their lives.
@wholesomesimon The end cut off: “please consider living another day” ❤️ i love u ##keepitwholesome ##wholesome
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“I think you can take a lot of control back from the things that happen to you from day to day that you feel like are ruining your day or your week or your year.”
For decades, there has been a lot of stigma surrounding the idea of mental health. When asked about the many misconceptions regarding mental health, Kim provided his insight into the issue. “Some people think that there is only one way of approaching mental illness. I think that it needs to be very personalized. Of course saying ‘it’s going to be okay’ and general things like that is going to help. But at the end of the day, there are a lot of personal things that go into that.”
@wholesomesimon FULL VID ON YOUTUBE in my bio ❤️ so grateful for all of you. Your the reason I wake up :)
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“People that are struggling with depression and anxiety go into stages of denial where they feel comfortable in their depression and their anxiety. And some friends believe that whatever they are doing can’t help. Well how you can help is just being there for the person. It means a lot. And I want to encourage more people to do that and find that.”
What's Next?
For now, Simon's main focus is the creation of his Tik-Tok videos. On this platform, he strives to reach the most people and maybe save the most lives.
Simon Kim, thank you so much for your inspiring content and all that you have done for the social community.
Simon has extended his content beyond his Tik-Tok (@wholesomesimon). You can find him on Instagram (@5imonkim) along with Keep It Wholesome (@keepingitwholesome) and on YouTube (@wholesomesimon)
