Beyond the cameras of Dirty Linen, Elisse Joson shares a vulnerable look at her private emotional breakdown and the breathing ritual that helped her find peace.
Content warning: This article mentions depression and mental health
In a world where composure is often mistaken for strength, Elisse Joson chose to be vulnerable.
The actress recently shared a deeply personal experience that caught her by surprise, an emotional breaking point that pushed her to confront feelings she didn’t realize she had been carrying for so long.
This time, Elisse reached her audience not through a dramatic scene or scripted dialogue, but through unfiltered honesty. In a candid video posted online, she revealed that she went through an emotional breakdown, one that arrived quietly, yet hit with overwhelming force.
“By ‘moment,’ I mean an emotional breakdown. I just started crying,” she admitted.
When sleep isn’t enough: the body keeps score
Believing the release was enough, Elisse tried to rest, hoping sleep would ease the weight. But when she woke up the next morning, the tears returned heavier and more persistent leading her to a realization about how emotions live not just in the mind, but in the body.
“Sleeping it off doesn’t remove the emotional weight if the body never gets a moment to exhale emotionally,” she later reflected.
She described a tightness in her chest, a physical signal that helped her understand how unexpressed emotions like fear, shock, and guilt can settle within us.
Wanting to regain a sense of calm, Elisse turned to a simple breathing exercise, one she eventually shared with her followers as a gentle reminder to pause and ground themselves.
“I am safe now. It was just a moment. I handled it, and now I’m releasing what’s not mine to carry,” she whispered as she demonstrated the technique.
By choosing transparency, Elisse extended comfort to those silently navigating their own struggles. Her message resonated deeply: pain does not make anyone weak, and healing begins the moment we allow ourselves to truly feel.
From ‘McLisse’ to mature artistry
Elisse first rose to fame as part of the former on-screen and real-life pairing known as “McLisse,” after meeting McCoy de Leon as housemates on “Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7” in 2016. The pair broke up in 2018 before rekindling their relationship in 2021.
Professionally, Elisse has continued to shine, earning praise for her performances as Sophie Madrigales in the hit series “Dirty Linen” and Hilary G. Abiog in “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso.” McCoy, meanwhile, was last seen as David Dimaguiba in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”
Beyond her roles on screen, however, Elisse’s most meaningful performance may be this quiet act of courage reminding everyone that healing isn’t linear, emotions deserve space, and sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is stop, breathe, and let ourselves heal.
I am safe now. It was just a moment. I handled it, and now I’m releasing what’s not mine to carry.
Elisse Joson
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