Looking back, the content may feel staged or too loud, but it was 2015 — being a full-time YouTuber wasn’t quite a  profession yet. My Life as Eva’s song “Literally My Life” perfectly encompasses the humor, style and color palette of the time.

On the night of Dec. 21, 2023, I conducted my usual routine. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, did my skincare, cried hysterically and crawled into bed to watch TikToks until my eyes burned from exhaustion, or what some call “winding down.” That was until I remembered what my dad told me earlier that day about taking some time off of social media.