Actress Kristen Bell lives with anxiety and depression.
Perhaps you wouldn’t have guessed it from examining his work in IMDb. After all, she is the voice behind Anna in “Frozen”; the star of an old hit show called “The Good Place,” for God’s sake.
Those look like, um… happy roles. Good?
That’s why Bell is talking about his mental illness again.
The media we consume—on our phones, in the magazine aisle, even in Bell’s charming television series and movies—rarely conveys an accurate depiction of reality. And Bell advises anyone else living with mental illness not to be fooled.
in a video produced by the Child Mind Institute, Bell talked about what she would like to tell her younger self.
“What I would tell my younger self is don’t get fooled by this game of perfection that humans play,” he said. “Because Instagram and magazines and TV shows strive for a certain aesthetic, and everything looks so beautiful, and people don’t seem to have a problem. But we’re all human.”
She continued (emphasis added):
“Everyone has problems. Sometimes everyone feels gross inside. And You deserve to feel just as beautiful on the days you don’t wear makeup, the days you don’t shower, and the days you feel down.. And you have an obligation to take care of yourself from the inside out, because that’s how you can truly feel beautiful.”
Anxiety, depression and what I would say to #MyYoungerYo | Kristen Bell
In recent years, Bell has spoken candidly about her own mental health in the hopes that it can benefit others.
The actress was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when she was 18 years old. As she explained to “Off camera with Sam Jones“In 2016, his mother was the one who told him the family history of mental illness.
Bell started taking medication to help and has no qualms about it. “I still take it today; I’m not ashamed of it,” Bell explained. “You would never deny a diabetic his insulin, but for some reason, when someone needs a serotonin inhibitor, he immediately goes ‘crazy’ or something.”
His anxiety and depression, Bell said, are probably due to the greatest differentiation between his own life and the characters he plays on screen.
Depression and anxiety affect millions of Americans of all ages. But despite its prevalence, stigma Around mental illness – discouraging people from seeking help, for example, or shaming them for taking medication – remains a major barrier that prevents people from accessing the resources they need.
Bell wants all children to know that they deserve to feel better.
“Never feel ashamed or ashamed of who you are,” Bell advises viewers in his new public service announcement. “Never feel embarrassed or ashamed for how unique you are, because there are people out there who can help. And we’re all human. And you can do it.”
Learn more about depression and anxiety – and access the help you or your child deserve – at the same time Child Mind Institute.
Child Mind Institute is an organization that changes children’s lives.
The Child Mind Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disabilities.
This story originally appeared on 2/5/2018.
