Liza Soberano: ‘I can finally breathe’ after quitting social media

The actress says stepping back from online life eased pressure, reduced anxiety, and reshaped how she sees the world.

Actress Liza Soberano opened up about how her life has changed since becoming less active on social media and pursuing opportunities outside the Philippine entertainment industry.

“So much better,” Liza shared during the first part of her interview on Edward Barber’s “Painfully Human Podcast.”

Now based in Los Angeles, California, the actress said stepping back from social media has given her a healthier perspective on life.

“Ever since I stopped being as active on social media, I think, for the first time, I can actually breathe and I have a better perspective on the world. I understand now that the world is so big and the problems that I face or the problems that pop up on my algorithm or social media aren’t  the whole world, and aren’t the opinion of everyone,” she explained.

Liza also reflected on a time when she was more vocal and opinionated online. While she never shied away from expressing her views, she admitted that the backlash she received often affected her emotionally.

“Like before, whenever I was very noisy on social media and very opinionated, I would get in trouble for it a lot of times. I knew I was going to get in trouble for it and I would still do it anyway. But when I would receive the backlash, even though I anticipated it, it would still hurt and affect me,” she said.

The actress revealed that she spent much of her teenage years and early career trying to make herself understood by everyone, which eventually became emotionally draining.

“I was always trying to make myself as clear to everyone as possible, which ended up being very taxing on me as an individual because I felt like I didn’t know who I was. I was just building this person to be the perfect person for everyone,” she shared.

These days, Liza no longer feels the need to seek validation or explain herself to others.

“So now that I’m not on social media, I just don’t care about being understood by people. I don’t care about competing or showing people what they want to see necessarily, and I don’t freak out over every little thing,” she said, adding that she used to overthink even simple things like emojis.

Now focused on building her Hollywood career, Liza is set to produce the thriller film “Imprint.” She will also lend her voice to DreamWorks’ upcoming animated feature “Forgotten Island,” which also features Lea Salonga, and draws inspiration from Philippine mythology.

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