Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock
Bella Hadid has opened up about her mental health struggles in the hopes of letting us know we’re not alone.
In a post to her 47.2 million followers on Instagram, the model and entrepreneur shared a series of close-up photos of herself crying along with a video of Willow Smith candidly speaking about her own insecurities.
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“I Love you and your words. It made me feel a little less alone and that’s why I’d like to post this,” Bella captions the post before quoting Willow’s words:
“That feeling of thinking that you’re good enough or being insecure about your art- is natural- but at the same time, I feel like it’s taught. All humans are different, every single human has something so special and unique to offer. And people forget that everyone is basically feeling the same way: lost, confused, not really sure why they’re here. That anxiety, like, everyone is feeling that- – and trying to cover it up in some way. We’re gonna come together in our flaws. In our insecurities, in our joy, in our happiness, and accept it all as beautiful and natural.”
Bella then goes on to explain her own personal story – that these struggles with mental health and self love are her “every day, every night. For a few years now.”
She highlights how what we see on social media isn’t real and explains that sometimes, just knowing that there others going through something similar, makes the process a little easier:
“So from me to you, you’re not alone. I love you, I see you, and I hear you. Self help and mental illness/chemical imbalance is not linear and it is almost like a flowing rollercoaster of obstacles… it has its ups and downs, and side to sides. But I want you to know, there is always light at the end of the tunnel and the rollercoaster always comes to a complete stop at some point.”
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She acknowledges that the metaphorical rollercoaster may “start up again” of course but even just a few days, weeks or months without it can be a good thing.
“It took me a long time to get that in my mind, but I’ve had enough breakdowns and burnouts to know this: if you work hard enough on yourself, spending time alone to understand your traumas, triggers, joys, and routine, you will always be able to understand or learn more about your own pain and how to handle it. Which is all that you can ask of yourself.”
Bella adds that it’s becoming more difficult to “not share” her truth on social media and thanks her followers for listening her.
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Willow responded to Bella’s raw post and summed up what so many of us are thinking:
“Your honesty and tenderness heals so many.”
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Earlier this year, Bella posted about living with “extreme depression and anxiety” for most of her teenage and adult life.
She also took some time away from social media to re-focus on herself:
“I found myself, my strength and my light again. I am only here to be an instrument of peace & love to help people that suffer and hopefully the world, in time… Thank you to my angels who have supported and have continued to love me , for me. You saved me. Take time to get help for your mental health. It’s worth it to get to your full potential.”
(Feature Image Credit: Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock; Inset @bellahadid/Instagram)
DO YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE? Please reach out for help. In Australia you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. And if you are overseas, please contact your local support line. As Bella says, you’re not alone.