Stevie Miller and Myles Dyer: Why we chose to speak about our mental health issues to thousands of people online

Exclusive: The YouTubers explain why they share their struggles with more than 100,000 followers

Stevie Miller

I started my mental health journey quite young. I was just nine years old when issues started to arise, I had anger management counselling when I was 11 and started self-harming when I was 13. It hasn’t been an easy ride, but I’ve never been ashamed of my struggles. My mum has always helped people and she’s inspired me to do the same thing – to show people that mental health doesn’t have to be dark, gloomy and serious, and I try and bring light and humour to the situation.

It can be hard to share your personal life with the world, so I made a promise to myself to always be real. It’s so easy to show our good days, our happy moments and fun memories but we feel ashamed to show our bad days, sad moments and tough memories. This makes absolutely no sense to me. No one should ever be ashamed of their struggles or how they feel. Everyone has bad days, that's just life.

My life has changed since I started uploading videos to YouTube. The community has been so supportive and I’ve had so many amazing opportunities to meet some incredible people. Without the channel, I don’t think I’d be here today: my followers save my life on a daily basis.

I've struggled with low self-esteem most of my life, so as you can imagine, I constantly doubt myself, put myself down and convince myself that no-one will watch my videos. I was so wrong. Of course, some people will love you and some people will not. All that really matters is that you love yourself. As cliché as that sounds, it's true. And I'll spread that message over and over until the world believes me.

I think it’s really difficult for the younger generation because a lot of issues are put down to hormones and environmental factors. If anyone is struggling I would encourage them to be open and honest – with yourself and others – and never give up. Easier said than done, but I'm living proof that it is completely possible. You can and you will live a positive and happy life despite mental health struggles – all you have to do is consciously choose recovery and do your best every single day. Oh, and don't forget, your best will differ from when you're well as opposed to ill.

Myles Dyer

My YouTube mental health journey started in 2009 when I uploaded a video called “You Are Not Alone”, which was filmed just after I’d had therapy. In the video I explain that anyone can go through tough times, no matter how confident they appear to the world, and it’s ok to get help.

At first it was hard to be personal and I felt some level of anxiety, but I believe that there are many positives from sharing your experience with others. I’ve moved past feeling that it’s too difficult, as I’ve created so much content around the topic. I’ve been a video blogger for 11 years and it’s given me a tougher skin. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have vulnerabilities, but the amount of joy I get from seeing the positive impact that my content is having on others makes it worth it, even if there are a few people who try and discourage me.

It’s always difficult to give advice without sounding patronising, as everyone has different experiences and there’s not a one size fits all solution. The most important thing it not to suffer in silence – open up and talk about how you’re feeling to a friend, a family member or to your doctor. Express yourself and talk out loud about how you’re feeling.

It’s not easy for everyone, so if you’re struggling, look at online blogs, YouTube videos and articles created by people who have gone through similar things. Relating to someone else’s experience can give you a new perspective. Courage is contagious and seeing someone else share their experience can inspire you to talk about yours.

The internet is a tool for information and shared experience. I’ve always regarded video as an empathy machine and whenever I’ve talked about what I’ve gone through, the response has been so amazing and humbling. Although not everyone has been in the exact same situation as me, if they take away one nugget of advice or positivity from my videos then I consider that as progress.

Being a YouTube Creator for Change means I get to do amazing things and meet people from all over the world – I get to collate loads of different experiences of mental health and share that with my community. It’s not all positive but that’s the great thing about the online world: it’s a platform of shared experience, empathy and critical thought that provides an opportunity to learn from other people’s success, mistake and their failures.