Kristen Bell's Advice To Her Younger Self Is Something We All Need To Hear
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Kristen Bell is helping end the stigma by working with the Child Mind Institute on its #MyYoungerSelf campaign. Throughout the month, celebrities will be opening up about their own experiences growing up with mental illness or learning disorders.
In a video posted on social media, Bell shares that she has struggled with anxiety and depression since she was 18 years old. The actress has spoken about this experience in the past, as well as her decision to treat these issues with medication. Bell’s advice to her younger self is something that we could all do with hearing.
“Don’t be fooled by this game of perfection that humans play,” she says in the video. “Because Instagram and magazines and TV shows, they strive for a certain aesthetic, and everything looks so beautiful, and people seem like they don’t have any problems, but everyone’s human. Everyone has problems. Everyone feels yucky on the inside sometimes.”
She goes on to remind herself (and anyone watching), “You deserve to feel just as beautiful on the days you wear no makeup, and the days you don’t shower, and the days you feel like you’re depressed. And you have an obligation to take care of yourself from the inside out, because that’s how you can truly feel beautiful.”
Bell also shares the reminder that there are “resources” and “solutions” out there to deal with mental health struggles, from talking to someone to seeing doctors. “You are not alone,” she says. “Never feel embarrassed or ashamed about who you are.”
The actress has plenty of wisdom to share. Last month, she explained how she’s teaching her two daughters to give back by donating their toys. Before that, she posted a list of marriage advice on Instagram, including a reminder to “stay vulnerable with each other.”
