“For the next few years, I put my career aside to focus on my mental health,” Constance, who welcomed a daughter in 2020, explained. “AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough. While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues with our community.”
That includes her very own tweets, which Constance said became “so touchy that most of my AsAm colleagues decided that was the time to avoid me or ice me out. I’ll admit it hurt a lot, but it also made me realize how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time.”
Thus, she was inspired to write. Today, she says she’s here “to reach out and help people talk about the uncomfortable stuff to understand it, reckon with it, and open pathways to healing. If we want to be seen, really seen…We need to let all of ourselves be seen, including the parts we’re scare of or ashamed of—parts that, however imperfect, require care and attention. And we need to stop beating each other (and ourselves) up when we do so.”
And like the rest of us, she’s only human. “While my book is not always the most flattering portrayal, it’s as honest as I know how to be,” she added. “Because the truth is, I’m not poised or graceful or perfect. I’m emotional. I make mistakes…lots of ‘em!”
And now, three years down the line, she feels ready to step back into the world of social media once again.
“After a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy I feel OK enough to venture back on here (at least for a little bit),” she concluded. “And even though I’m scared, I’ve decided that I owe it to the me-of-3-years-ago to be brave and share my story so that it might help someone with theirs.”