For someone who just turned 18 and has been working as a breadwinner at the age of 10, there’s so much to take in when you’re in her shoes.
(Trigger warning: This article contains topics on anxiety, self-harm, and suicide)
In a recent interview, Blythe has broken her silence for the past few weeks on social media. “Okay naman po ako, I tested positive for COVID,” reveals Blythe in Boy Abunda’s Talk Channel, The Interviewer. For most of her fans, they’re used to seeing Blythe post her regular killer selfies. So, when it was radio silence from her Instagram and TikTok, many of her fans wondered how she was doing.
When you’ve grown up in the spotlight, it somehow gives people the permission to blur the boundaries with no remorse, call you names, or claim you as “their own” just because you’re a public figure. It’s a battle she has been struggling with, especially as a child star, which is a reality most of us tend to overlook. Blythe addresses this in a recent Instagram post, where she invites the viewers to listen and hear her out. “This interview is very close to my heart, it took me a lot of time and courage to finally be ready to share with everyone what i’ve been through and HOPEFULLY serve as an inspiration and give strength to anyone who ever felt like giving up or is going through a rough patch,” says Blythe in her post. Here are some of the lessons and shocking revelation’s we’ve learned from her interview with Boy Abunda.
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BLYTHE’S INSOMNIA IS PROBABLY CAUSED BY HER WORKING AT AN EARLY AGE—10 YEARS OLD TO BE EXACT
“Ang hirap po kasi sa akin Tito Boy, I have insomnia po and anxiety,” shares Blythe. In a research made by The Sleep Foundation organization, the data says that between 30% and 48% of adults struggle with insomnia. For her, she’s been battling the ghosts and demons of her past, literally and figuratively, especially at night, which causes her inability to sleep. “Lagi po akong binabangungot and lagi akong nagkakaroon ng sleep paralysis, so nagkaroon na ako ng fear na matulog.” On the root cause of her sleep disorder, Blythe believes it’s because she started working at an early age—10 years old to be exact.
SHE’S SCARED TO BE BY HERSELF BECAUSE SHE’S ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE AT WORK AND AT HOME
“Sa work ko po, lagi akong surrounded with tons of people and never po akong naging mag-isa.” For the first time in her 18 years of existence, it was only in self-isolation that Blythe was able to have her quiet time and be alone even if she was afraid. Boy Abunda describes this as a “silver lining” despite the situation. He also adds, “talking to one’s self, you know, examining one’s self, eto na ‘yung malalaman mo ‘yung self-love.” Despite her family’s worries of her not surviving isolation, Blythe wanted to prove them wrong, and she did.
ON BAD THOUGHTS: “IT DOESN’T EXIST. IT ONLY EXISTS WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.”
“Ang tawag namin diyan ay ‘cognitive restructuring'” or the “ability to change our mindset,” Boy Abunda explains. Fear is knowing that something is going to happen, while the state of anxiety on the other hand, amplifies those dark thoughts. When the anxiety creeps up on her, all she does is remind herself, “no one’s gonna hurt you Blythe.”
BLYTHE ON THE ISSUE OF FEELING INSECURE ABOUT THE NEWCOMERS IN THE INDUSTRY
In a facebook and TikTok post that went viral last month, many people have misunderstood what Blythe had to say about the newcomers of the industry. She explained that it was her mindset when she was in her early teens and most netizens left this tiny but crucial detail. “Ang tagal ko na kasi ‘di ba, sobrang sakit sakin na pag may mga bagong dumadating sikat na sila agad. Na ako ‘yung mga hindi na kailangan na ansakit. Parang plato na binasag ako.” She got a lot of flak for that, being bombarded by netizens that she’s “ungrateful,” “immature,” “greedy” for not being contented with that she has.
Blythe has a point though. We have to remember that she’s been working since she was 10 and she feels that she only had her break years later. It’s a statement that was taken out of context on social media that left Blythe confused. Despite all of this, she didn’t badmouth anyone and just kept the pain to herself. Boy Abunda agrees that Blythe’s statement and question is valid as it is part of the competition. It eventually led her to count her blessings and feel more grateful of her current state. Hello, she was able to build her own home before she turned 18.
BLYTHE ON CONTEMPLATING OF DYING BY SUICIDE: “I JUST WANT TO END THE PAIN”
At the end of Boy Abunda’s interview, he also dropped some burning questions, but to be answered on the next episode. He asks Blythe the hard questions like “you were contemplating of dying by suicide?” and if there was a time that she felt upset at God. She can be heard in the last few seconds, explaining “I just wanna end the pain.” While we’re left hanging by this cliffhanger moment, it’s rare that celebrities get to open their deepest, darkest thoughts to the public. Her story is not yet finished. No, not because they’re a public figure means they owe us an explanation for everything that they do or their lives for that matter. Perhaps the solution is to mind your own business and let other people live. And for Blythe, it’s time to let her inner child heal.
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