Anxiety and depression hit this wellness influencer when she was 11. Now, on Instagram, she raises awareness of mental health and helps others

At the start of World Mental Health Month, wellness influencer Katie Eu describes her lengthy struggle with depression and anxiety growing up in Hong Kong

Eu’s Instagram account is a tool to help her recover while dishing out to more than 100,000 followers solid advice based on her own experiences and learning

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Wellness influencer Katie Eu leans on her own experiences with mental health to reach out on Instagram to others looking for answers and guidance. Photo: Instagram/@katie.eu

Published: 11:15am, 1 Oct 2023

Katie Eu’s Instagram account appears, at first glance, to comprise simply a curated series of carefully pretty photos, just like so many others on the social media platform.

But look closer and you will see that Eu’s captions and reels are filled with insightful and raw snippets of her life, all of which are inspired by her ongoing mental health journey.

The wellness influencer has built a community of more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares her experiences and life lessons from struggling with anxiety and depression for more than a decade.

Her weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast expand the focus on self-growth for a dedicated audience.

Eu hosts a weekly podcast called Solidarity on the Bench. Photo: Katie Eu

Eu, now 23, first felt the grip of anxiety and depression at the age of 11 when she lived in Hong Kong. Mental health was not a welcome topic of conversation, and helpful resources were scant.

She turned to the internet – including Tumblr and other social media platforms – for answers, which is where she learned to identify what she was feeling as she battled a lack of motivation, general fatigue and lack of interest in daily activities.