Why Chrissy Teigen Is Taking a Twitter Break

• If you're one of the millions who follow Chrissy Teigen (opens in new tab) on Twitter, you've probably noticed that she's not as active on social media lately as she used to be.
• In a new interview for the fall issue of Marie Claire, Teigen opens up about her decision to take a break from Twitter (opens in new tab).
• Teigen says she's cut back on her social media use at the request of her therapist, who she started seeing during quarantine.

Chrissy Teigen (opens in new tab) is pretty much the reigning Queen of Twitter (opens in new tab). If the people of the internet had to vote on it, she would be a shoe-in for the position. But, if you're one of the millions of people who follow Teigen's tweets (opens in new tab) and like all of her 280-character-or-less witticisms, then you've probably noticed that she's not posting as much these days. That's a very conscious choice on Teigen's part.

"I'm barely online anymore, and that was at the request of my therapist," Teigen explains in an interview for Marie Claire's fall cover story (opens in new tab). "I didn’t start therapy until quarantine. I used to avoid it and make fun of the idea of it, and then I found the right person and it changed my world. People think I'm tough, but I'm such an empath, and I take on other people's pain and sadness as my own. And when I let people down, I'm hyperaware of it. Sometimes I feel like people aren't going to be as hard on me as I am on myself. So it's good for me to take a break."

Teigen admits that, as good as stepping back from social media (opens in new tab) has been in many ways, she's conflicted about it, too.

"Part of me right now knows this is not the right time to go silent," she says. "It does feel very selfish and weird to say that my mental health is important when there are people being murdered by police and murdered in their own homes. Who gives a fuck about someone making fun of me when people’s livelihoods are being threatened just for telling their stories? I have Black children, so is it really the right time to not want to step on anyone’s toes?"

What might feel "selfish" to Teigen just looks like really healthy self-care from where we're standing. PSA: Anyone who needs a break from social media deserves to take that break, no questions asked.