Scout, Tallulah and Rumer Willis (Photo: Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock)
Designer, entrepreneur and actress Tallulah Willis just shared a beautifully honest and important message for her fans on World Mental Health Day.
The 26-year-old who’s been open about her struggle with disordered eating in the past, took to Instagram to explain how grateful she is for her life – and what she describes as her “beautiful messy brain.”
View this post on Instagram
“World mental health day,” she begins, “it’s a day to create visibility and transparency around something that is my (and hundreds of thousands of others) daily existence.”
And she’s certainly helping create visibility and dialogue around the issue.
Tallulah describes living with “OCD, BDD, MDD and severe anxiety” – all those letters stand for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.
“It took me 25 years to find these acronyms and when I did I felt the twisted clench from the hollows of my belly begin to dislodge. I hope your diagnosis doesn’t scare you or make you see yourself as less than – we just are unique souls that feel the world a little more sharply,” she writes.
Tallulah admits there are bad days – and they can be frightening, but “instead of being disheartened by this, I have decided to cherish my good stretches and be acutely vocal when I see myself edging into a less favourable space.”
She acknowledges how lucky she is to have a “crew of supporters, professionals as well as friends/family” who have helped her through those bad days that she speaks of.
“I would literally not be here to write this without them.”
She also acknowledges that not everyone has the same support she’s received, directing her fans to Los Angeles based therapist Julia Childs Heyl who provides techniques we can all use to support ourselves when therapy may not be accessible.
“I’m grateful for my life and my beautiful messy brain,” Tallulah ends her message.
The 26-year-old’s clothing line Wyllis.com is a testament to how far she’s come and how she’s now using her platform to ensure others living with mental ill health can easily find the support they need.
She not only donates a portion of her profits to mental health organisations, but also puts special labels on her clothes with the words, “you are never alone” as well as the phone numbers for suicide prevention and mental illness help centres.
(Photo: wyllis.com)
Like Tallulah says, please remember you are never alone. For our Australian readers, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 for support. And for our international readers, please reach out to your local helpline. There will be better days.