YouTuber, Jake Paul, who's caused controversy in the past for his (allegedly fake) marriage to fellow online star, Tana Mongeau, is under fire once again. This time, for a very poorly worded tweet on anxiety. Other Twitter users are accusing him of implying that the mental health condition, which can be debilitating for some, is self-inflicted.
In the now-deleted tweet, Jake said: "Remember anxiety is created by you. Sometimes you gotta let life play out and remind yourself to be happy and that the answers will come. Chill your mind out. Go for a walk. Talk to a friend."
Whilst he probably meant to sound encouraging, it definitely glosses over the evidence that anxiety is not always circumstantial and can be a result of various of physical conditions too, such as a chemical or hormonal imbalance in the body. As anybody who suffers from the tough mental health condition will know, it's certainly not something that can always be switched on and off with positive thought or a walk (although exercise can definitely help).
One Twitter user said Jake's tweet was short-sighted and could be damaging, given that he has an impressionable young audience.
Another remarked that his tweet could prevent people from seeking help.
A third person even posted a sarcastic video of themselves throwing away their anti-anxiety medication, joking that they had been "cured" by Jake's take on the condition.
Everyone's clicking on...
Since the backlash caused by his original tweet, Jake has posted about having anxiety himself, while saying that people have been "clowning" on his previous statement. The new tweet reads: "Everyone clowning my tweet but it’s now spreading more awareness about anxiety, which i didn’t even know was a thing till I was 18, but had it my whole life & never knew how to deal with it." He then linked an article suggesting methods of coping with anxiety.
When Cosmopolitan UK reached out to Anxiety UK, a leading mental health charity, for their thoughts on Jake's suggestion that anxiety is created by the sufferer, they said:
There are many varying causes of anxiety and it is too simplistic to suggest it is self-created. Some studies have shown it can be generic. Some phobias are learnt behaviours, while life challenges can also be the cause of some people’s anxieties – be that current problems such as finances, work-related stress or long-term health conditions, or historic adverse childhood experiences (also known as ACEs).
Other theories hypothesise that an imbalance of the brain chemicals that regulate and control mood can cause anxiety. There is growing evidence and research that proves a direct link between the gut and the brain and we encourage anyone living with anxiety and/or anxiety-based depression to review their diet and encourage them to eat more healthily.
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions in the UK currently – 1 in 5 of us will at some point experience an anxiety condition and when faced with this, it is important to put something in place to help manage it.
Visit Anxiety UK or call 03444 775774 to find out more about their national team of talking therapy practitioners.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
Follow Jennifer on Instagram and Twitter
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
