American-Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid has always voiced her opinion on social media regarding various international issues and societal taboos. So, it was heartrending when the 25-year-old recently opened up about her struggles with the reality of her life, which is entirely different from the façade that’s on social media.
In an Instagram post to her 47 million followers, she shared a lengthy and emotional message, along with a series of photos of herself in tears. She urged anyone struggling to remember “you’re not alone”.
Hadid has previously spoken about battling severe depression and anxiety since she was a teenager. This time, she was responding to a Willow Smith video about insecurity and anxiety, saying Willow’s words made her feel “less alone”.
“‘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’,” Smith’s quote reads.
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Hadid followed up by saying the quote really hit home for her. “This is pretty much my every day, every night for a few years now,” she wrote.
“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 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. 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,” she added.
She, then, shared how she has been coping with it.
“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. Anyways, not sure why but it feels harder and harder to not share my truth on here. Thank you for seeing me and thank you for listening. I love you.”
Hadid’s post was met with supportive messages from her fans and friends, thanking her for this heart-to-heart chat and reassuring that she is not alone.