From Personal Struggles to Powerful Messages: Famous Faces Who Promote Mental Health Therapy

People’s lives all across the world have undergone a tremendous transformation as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. The pandemic’s effects on mental health, particularly in young people, have been significant. Anxiety, sadness, and other mental health problems have increased as a result of the pandemic’s sense of uncertainty, fear, and stress. Young people have had difficulty sustaining social bonds, taking part in extracurricular activities, and managing academic responsibilities as a result of social isolation and quarantine measures.

Furthermore, the pandemic has made pre-existing mental health problems, including trauma, drug abuse, and eating disorders, worse. There is a serious mental health problem among young people today, as evidenced by reports of rising suicide rates and mental health hospitalizations. Although the pandemic’s long-term effects on mental health are still unknown, it is critical to attend to young people’s immediate needs in order to avoid long-term consequences. To safeguard young people’s well-being both during and after the epidemic, it is critical to give young people’s mental health resources and assistance top priority as we move forward.

How Celebrities Can Influence Mental Health Care

Celebrities today have a significant impact on young people, influencing followers’ opinions and behaviors through their acts and words. Celebrities, in particular, have become more outspoken about mental health issues, discussing their own struggles and promoting education and assistance. These famous personalities can act as role models for young people who are struggling with mental health issues, giving them hope and inspiration. Celebrities may assist in lessening the stigma associated with mental health and inspire young people to seek treatment when necessary by sharing their experiences and tales. 

In addition, social media sites have made it simpler for young people to interact with famous people, giving them access to helpful tools and assistance. But it’s important to understand that celebrities are not mental health experts, and their experiences might not be typical of everyone else’s. When dealing with mental health issues, it is crucial to seek mental health counseling from professional counselors rather than relying solely on advice from famous people.

There are a few standouts when it comes to celebrities who advocate for societal awareness of mental health difficulties and promote aggressively seeking help when it’s needed:

Serena Williams

Throughout her long career, Serena Williams has been open about her own struggles with mental health. Williams reveals in her memoirs how despair prevented her from working out for half of 2006. She admitted in 2019 that she had sought therapy following her outburst at the US Open.

She has also been open about her postpartum depression after giving birth to her child in 2017. Williams stated in an interview for the 2018 Vogue cover:

“No one talks about the low moments—the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down, I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby? The emotions are insane.”

Chris Evans

Chris Evans is well-known to everyone as Captain America from Marvel. Many people would not infer from how they perceive him that he has mental health issues. Chris Evans has acknowledged that having anxiety and panic episodes nearly caused the end of his career, but he is less public about it now. The red carpet made him feel like he was walking on hot coals, he claimed, despite his smile and assured demeanor. He now practices meditation to unwind before significant situations. 

One Friday evening in October of 2021, the Marvel actor remarked: “Nothing like anxiety for no reason whatsoever. Looking like a 4 pm bedtime for me. Happy Friday!”

Kevin Love

NBA champion and five-time All-Star Kevin Love plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Love revealed in 2018 that he had a panic attack during the Atlanta Hawks game’s halftime. Love felt as though he was going to pass away at the time but was unable to pinpoint the problem. Later, he discovered that anxiety had negatively impacted him for almost his entire life.

After consulting a therapist and receiving therapy, Love developed a fierce commitment to the cause of mental health: 

“Mental health isn’t just an athlete thing. What you do for a living doesn’t have to define who you are. This is an everyone thing. No matter what our circumstances, we’re all carrying around things that hurt — and they can hurt us if we keep them buried inside. Not talking about our inner lives robs us of really getting to know ourselves and robs us of the chance to reach out to others in need. 

So if you’re reading this and you’re having a hard time, no matter how big or small it seems to you, I want to remind you that you’re not weird or different for sharing what you’re going through.”

Conclusion

The millions of people who live with mental health illnesses are much larger in number than these athletes and celebrities. You are not alone if you are having problems with your mental health. Every day, the mental health community gets stronger. If you need help with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or any mental health problem, reach out to a mental health counselor near me.