YouTuber Lilly Singh is taking a break to focus on her mental health

YouTube star Lilly Singh has announced to fans that she's taking a break, specifically to focus on her mental health.

After eight years of posting content to her 14 million subscribers, the Canadian creator and author known as IISuperwomanII revealed her intention to take an indefinite hiatus in a video posted Tuesday. 

"This is not clickbait. I'm not trying to get on the trending page. I'm not trying to make a dramatic thumbnail to get views," she began, addressing her fans collectively known as #TeamSuper. "The title is not a lie. I am planning to take a break from YouTube."

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"Why do I want to take a break? There's many reasons. First and foremost: my mental health," she said. "I am mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. I have been doing YouTube consistently for eight years.

"I want to be honest with you, I could be happier. I'm not my optimal happiness right now, I could be mentally healthier. I don't feel like I'm completely mentally healthy. There's a lot going on up here that I need to address and I'm not able to constantly pumping out content."

Singh emphasised that the hiatus "is in no way a reflection of how I feel about the platform of YouTube and of #TeamSuper. I love YouTube. I love #TeamSuper. It is not about you, this is to do with me." 

That being said, she said another reason was that she wasn't pleased with the workload, explaining that being on YouTube "demands constant content."

"You know, the thing about YouTube is that, in all of its glory, it kind of is a machine and it makes creators believe that we have to pump out content consistently, even at the cost of our life and our mental health and our happiness, because if you don't you'll become irrelevant," she said. 

"But I've always said that happiness is the most important thing you will ever fight for. Relevance is not."

At the end of the day, Singh said she simply wants to take care of herself, work on her other projects, particularly in the social good space including the #GirlLove movement and being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and "get some of [her] creative energy back" — something we could all do a little more of, to be honest. 

And she's not leaving the platform, guys, Singh's just hitting pause on main channel videos and vlogs, and will see how she feels about her other content.

"YouTube has changed. People have found a way to make it work for them. I am not one of those people," she said.

Image: Luiz Rampelotto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Singh acknowledged the risk in jumping off the platform, and said she's determined to thwart these fears. "A lot of creators don't do this, and I'm assuming it's because there's a fear that your audience will abandon you and that people forget all about you and that you won't be able to get back once you return. I'm looking all those fears right in the eye," she said in the video.

Well, Singh's courage is already paying off, as she has some pretty kickass fans, who all rallied around the star following her announcement. Fan after fan posted messages of support on Twitter and in the video's comments:

The outpouring of support did not go unnoticed by Singh either, as the YouTube star posted her heartfelt thanks on Twitter.

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