Inga Lam, YouTuber who replicated Pixar’s ratatouille, on burnout and sharing her culture through food

Lam stresses that she knows she can’t speak for everyone, but she does think many of us fail to prioritise ourselves, often because of the hustle culture that seems to have become expected of anyone who wishes to succeed.

“[We think,] ‘if I get to this point, I’ll be okay’. Or ‘if I just put my head down and do what I need to do, I’m going to succeed’ … and so you keep going,” Lam says. “But sometimes, you just need to take a break.” 

Beyond that, she says it’s equally important to speak up about mental health and understand that it’s not an all-or-nothing type deal.

“It’s not weak if you’re tired,” she says. “It’s okay to tell yourself you’re tired and to take a step back. Take a few days off, or tell your friends and family. Because when we’re caught up in this headspace, we feel so alone. If you don’t talk about it, that feeling is…