American-Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid recently shared intimate details with fans about her mental health, reminding anyone else struggling that they are far from alone.
The 25-year-old opened up about her experience with mental illness and shared some raw photos of her own low points on Instagram.
The model began her post by explaining that she felt inspired to post after hearing friend Willow Smith speak about the universal and deeply ingrained nature of people’s struggles with insecurity, not feeling good enough, and anxiety.
“People forget that everyone is basically feeling the same way: lost, confused, not really sure why they’re here,” Smith had said in a video clip, which Hadid quoted in her caption. “That anxiety – 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,” continued Smith, who has previously spoken up about her own mental health challenges. “And accept it all as beautiful and natural.”
Touched by Smith’s words, Hadid felt compelled to open up herself. “It made me feel a little less alone and that’s why I’d like to post this,” Hadid wrote, alongside a series of photos of herself crying.
Social media is not real, emphasized the model
“This is pretty much my every day, every night for a few years now,” she added. “Social media is not real. For anyone struggling, please remember that. Sometimes all you’ve gotta hear is that you’re not alone. 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 are not linear and it is almost like a flowing rollercoaster of obstacles… it has its ups and downs, and side to sides,” Hadid wrote. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, she added.
“There is always room for it to start up again, but for me, it’s always been nice to know that even if it’s a few days, weeks, or months, it does get better, to some extent, even for a moment.”
At this point the model has had “enough breakdowns and burnouts” to learn that “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,” Hadid said. “Which is all that you can ask of yourself.”
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