Bachelorette Hannah Brown’s Latest Instagram Will Make You Want to Give Her a Big, Reassuring Hug

Being on reality TV doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a golden ticket to the good life. It might even make things more difficult at first. Case in point? Bachelorette Hannah Brown admits she’s “struggling.” The Alabama native, who recently wrapped season 15 of the dating competition franchise, just gave fans a life status update that is refreshingly honest and a little heartbreaking, too.

Brown took to Instagram on Monday night to address how dramatically her world has changed over the past year — and how hard it has been for her to adjust accordingly. “Honest policy: I’m struggling. Life is so different. Since last August, I’ve been a pageant queen, a Bachelor contestant, and the Bachelorette,” Brown began her vulnerable post. “I’ve been in love with multiple people, I got engaged, I broke off an engagement, and I shared it all with millions of people. My faith has been questioned by thousands who don’t know my heart, and my transparency with my decisions has labeled me promiscuous. Simultaneously, I’ve become a role model for young women and started bigger conversations around faith, and sex.”

In addition to grappling with all of these issues, Brown is figuring out how to live on her own (for the first time!) and handle the press, media and “opportunities galore” now knocking down her door.

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Navigating those next steps hasn’t been easy, she explains. She misses her friends and family from back home who have “watched my life explode.” She wrestles with guilt over not having “the time or emotional capacity” to keep them updated individually on her life, confessing that she can barely keep up with it herself.

Still, Brown wants fans to know she isn’t complaining about the opportunities she has been given or those coming her way — she is simply trying to process all of the changes and, in doing so, sharing a relatable message: It’s okay to not be okay all the time. “Maybe I needed to write this out to remind myself I’m human and it’s okay to be overwhelmed. And maybe, I just needed to remind you guys too. Life is beautiful, but wild. I think it’s okay to be strong — to know you’re strong — but to still feel weak simultaneously.”

Admittedly, Brown’s year has been quite the rollercoaster of emotions. After being eliminated during Colton Underwood‘s season of The Bachelor, she was cast as the resident Bachelorette, during which time she fell in love with and got engaged to suitor Jed Wyatt. Shortly after the show ended, she called things off when she realized he had been dishonest about his relationship status when they first began “dating.” She was recently spotted with runner-up Tyler Cameron, who has since been linked to Gigi Hadid.

So, yeah, Brown’s feelings are totally understandable. But, as much as we relate to her current state of confusion, we really love her positive outlook about tough times. “I believe that’s when the magic happens,” she said. “My spirit has opportunity to grow and blossom from this place. Healing and restoration can happen.”