Bella Hadid Shares Mental Health Struggles: ‘Something That I Have Been Dealing with for a Few Years’

Bella Hadid followed her 23rd birthday festivities with a more serious message for her followers: remember to take care of yourself.

The supermodel thanked fans for their birthday wishes in an Instagram post on Friday and used her own experience to stress the importance of speaking up if you’re feeling down.

“Yesterday was mental health awareness day. A struggle that I know a majority of us have dealt with in the past or dealing with currently,” she wrote. “And if not, you probably know someone who is.. something that I have been dealing with for a few years but finally at a point where it doesn’t consume me as much as before.

Bella added that she still has “bad days along with the good, but grateful and proud of myself to be in the place that I am today, going into my 23rd year of life.”

Last year, Bella revealed her fight with social anxiety on her mom’s show, Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid, and in her recent post, the model shared that it was those closest to her who helped her through the tough times in her life.

“Sometimes it just seems easier to live within your sadness rather than talk about it. if it wasn’t for the people closest to me, I probably would have still been in that place, and for that, I am forever thankful to them,” she added.

Bella has over 26 million followers on Instagram, but she cautioned fans to be realistic when they look at images online, reminding them that social media can be misleading.

“The happiness we create online while being sad in real life makes no sense,” she shared.

This isn’t the first time the supermodel has been candid about her health. She shared with Vogue last December that her fight with Lyme disease had impacted her both physically and mentally.

She isn’t the only one in her family getting candid about the topic of mental health — Gigi Hadid has also spoken out about the importance of a healthy mindset. She stepped out with a phone case in 2018 that read, “social media seriously harms your mental health.”

To close out her message to fans, Bella ended on a positive note.

“You never know how much your words or just a smile can change someone’s day … If you are reading this and feel like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel… there is … and I see you !” Bella added. “You are strong , you are good enough and you DESERVE to be happy!!”