Just when we thought it was not possible to love Kristen Bell any more, she comes out with a powerful public service announcement about living with anxiety and depression. The Good Place actor released the video as part of the Child Mind Institute’s#MyYoungerSelf campaign, which features influencers from the arts, entertainment and sports worlds sending messages of hope to young people.
In her PSA, Bell discusses living with anxiety and/or depression since she was 18 years old and says she’d tell her younger self not to be fooled “by this game of perfection that humans play because Instagram and magazines and TV shows strive for a certain aesthetic” where everything looks beautiful and people seem like they don’t have any problems. That’s not real life.
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“Everyone has problems,” Bell says. “Everyone feels yucky on the inside sometimes. And you deserve to feel just as beautiful on the days where you wear no make up 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.”
Later in the video, Bell explains there are resources out there for people who may be feeling anxious or depressed and “tons of solutions,” including speaking to a therapist or a doctor.
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“You are not alone,” she adds. “Never feel embarrassed or ashamed about who you are.”
If you know a child who may be struggling with mental health issues, you can contact the Child Mind Institute at childmind.org, where you can find resources and ways to help.
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