YouTube star Tana Mongeau has been working hard to take care of herself following her split from husband Jake Paul. As fans know, the internet stars announced that they were taking a break from their whirlwind relationship in January 2020. Both Tana and Jake took to Instagram and posted matching photos along with heartfelt captions that said they both needed time to focus on their own lives.

Since the breakup, the 21-year-old has been focused on prioritizing her feelings and friendships. Tana recently chatted with J-14 about all things mental health and got real about how much hers has improved.

“You kind of get to a point where you realize that something has to give, that your mental health just isn’t at a place that you’re happy with or you’re not happy or you feel depressed. You want to be a better version of yourself,” she explained. “I think that step one to that always does come from, you have to want it yourself.  I definitely got to a point where I knew it was time for me to make a change toward my mental health and I really had to start focusing on myself.”

Tana noted that her recent social media breaks have played a major part in her healing process.

“In my world, a two day break feels like two months. So it’s so incredible for me,” she admitted. “I think that if you don’t step out of that world and kind of literally look around and realize that [social media] is not reality, it’s everyone’s perfected reality. I just think that’s so important to…step out of that world. And I recommend that everybody does it. Getting a good grasp of your life and what’s going on around you is so important.”

The YouTube star also looked back at video that she uploaded in December 2019, titled “The Truth About Everything,” where she gave viewers an inside look at her whole life. At one point in the video, Tana revealed that in her relationship with Jake, she wanted to be the “best girlfriend,” but not necessarily the “best Tana.” Now, her biggest priority has become focusing on herself.

“I think that was the biggest learning lesson for me. I realized I can’t be anything for anyone else if I’m not the best me for me,” she said. “Now I just hope to kind of be that message for young girls to focus on yourself first always. Young people, I should say.”

Tana also talked about all her upcoming YouTube videos and said fans can expect “even more” mental health talk.

As for things she does to make herself feel better on a bad day? Tana said she loves spending time with friends and, obviously, watching YouTube!

“I always want to spend time around people who lift me up and make me feel like my best version of myself. So if I can spend time around people that make me laugh or something like that, that’s incredible,” she said. “Obviously I’ve always been a really avid YouTube watcher, so even just watching a David Dobrik video for four minutes is so great to just focus on only that.”

She continued, “But at the same time, just sleep. If I work out, for the rest of the day I feel so much more accomplished and better about myself. I think it is just about taking those small steps to better your mindset.”

Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.