How Kristen Bell Overcame Her Battle With Depression & Anxiety

Each year, approximately one in five Aussies will experience a mental illness. It’s an alarming statistic and while we’d like to think that the stigma around this is starting to ease, there’s still a heap of work yet to be done.

Enter, Kristen Bell.   

As part of The Child Mind Institute’s #MyYoungerSelf campaign, the 37-year-old has released a powerful video about how she overcome her personal demons in a bid to raise awareness for the cause.  

“I have suffered from anxiety and or depression since I was 18,” she began.

“What I would say to younger self is don’t be fooled by this game of perfection that humans play, 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 problems, but everyone’s human.”

She continued: “Everyone has problems. Everyone feels yucky on the inside sometimes. And you deserve to feel just as beautiful on days you don’t wear makeup and the days you don’t shower – and the days that you feel like you’re depressed.”

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A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Apr 17, 2018 at 7:05am PDT

After urging anyone who is suffering to seek out help – whether that be through a therapist, doctor or both – she stressed that these issues should never be downplayed or ignored.

“Never feel embarrassed or ashamed about who you are,” she said. “There are plenty of things to feel embarrassed or ashamed about. If you forget your mum’s birthday, feel embarrassed about that. If you are prone to gossiping, feel ashamed about that. But never feel embarrassed or ashamed about the uniqueness that is you.”

This isn’t the first time the actress has spoken candidly on the topic. In a personal essay for Motto back in 2016, she explained that mental health check-ins should be as routine as going to the doctor or dentist.

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A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Feb 22, 2018 at 2:44pm PST

“Anxiety and depression and impervious to accolades or achievements. Anyone can be affected, despite their level of success or their place on the food chain,” she said. In fact, there is a good chance you know someone who is struggling with it since nearly 20 percent of American adults face some form of mental illness in their lifetime. So why aren’t we talking about it?” 

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Kristen.

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