Ellie Thumann Reveals the Quote That Helps Maintain Her Mental Health

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie is always candid about her emotional well-being.

Ellie Thumann.Mireya Acierto/Getty Images

Ellie Thumann has built a career out of being candid with her massive online following. She started her YouTube channel at the age of 13, and now 21, continues to update her 2.19 subscribers on all things related to work and life, both good and bad.

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie participated in the brand’s “Be You Women’s Empowerment Series,” presented by Maybelline, at the University of Cincinnati on Sept. 21, where she opened up about all things mental health. 

There, Thumann revealed that she too falls into the trap of comparing herself to other people she sees on social media. She also shared the way she’s actively working through it, including an inspirational quote she returns to regularly.

‘Comparison is the thief of joy’

“A quote that I’ve always stuck by and what I’ve always been reminded of is, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy,’” Thumann shares. “And I’ve really experienced that because [I] could be anywhere in the world, doing the coolest thing in the best outfit and hair and makeup and everything, and I would sit there and find a person or a situation to compare myself to, and then it’s like that joy is gone.”

While she admits that she often still struggles with falling into the comparison trap, Thumann instead tries to focus on “pouring into her own cup” rather than focusing on what others have. She notes she also chooses to admire the positive and admirable qualities of her loved ones through an inspirational, rather than competitive, lens.

“I think that goes kind of hand-in-hand with comparison being the thief of joy,” she explains. “Being so focused on yourself and your own self-care and what you’re doing to show up as the best version of you. Because when I look at it, the things and the people I want to compare myself to, in a sense, would be people I look up to, like my sister, my mom, finding the positive traits that they have that they bring to the table and being inspired by that, instead of comparing myself to others.”

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