Bella Hadid Details Mental Health Struggles, Explains Why She Shares Crying Selfies

Bella Hadid is getting candid about her mental health once again.

The 25-year-old model opened up about her "excruciating and debilitating" mental health struggles in a new interview with WSJ. Magazine for the publication's "My Monday Morning" series.

When asked what her secret was to putting together her outfit in the morning, Hadid explained that she hasn't used a personal stylist "in a long time, maybe two years now."

According to the model, she was "in such a weird place mentally" that it was really complicated for her "to get out of the house and put an outfit together, especially with the anxiety of [photographers] being outside and all of that."

But Hadid said she overcame that by learning to embrace the truth that she can't impress everyone with her style.

"In the last year, it was really important for me to learn that even if people talk about my style or if they like it or if they don't, it doesn't matter, because it's my style," she explained. "When I leave the house in the morning, what I think about is: Does this make me happy? Do I feel good in this and do I feel comfortable?"

Hadid also discussed what her thought process was behind an Instagram post she shared in November 2021, where she posted a series of selfies of herself crying. In the caption, she had written: "This is my pretty much every day, every night. For a few years now."

Hadid told WSJ. Magazine that she would have "depressive episodes," and when her mom or doctor would ask her how she was feeling, she would respond by sending them a photo of her current state, including crying selfies. She explained that it was easier than having to respond in text.

"It was the easiest thing for me to do at the time because I was never able to explain how I was feeling," she shared. "I would just be in excruciating and debilitating mental and physical pain, and I didn't know why. That was over the past three years."

Hadid said she ultimately decided to post the pictures on social media to let those who may be going through the same experience know that "it was OK to feel that way."

The Victoria's Secret model, who has 48.5 million followers and counting on Instagram, reminded her followers that while things "look so beautiful" on social media, "at the end of the day, we are all cut from the same cloth."

"I felt like it was just good for me to be able to speak my truth," she added. "And at some point, I wasn't able to post nice pretty pictures anymore. I was over it."

Further discussing her candid Instagram post, Hadid explained that it made her feel "less lonely" because she received "a lot" of messages from people who said they felt that way as well.

As for how she's doing now, the model confessed to having good days and bad days but said she no longer feels as depressed and doesn't have as much anxiety as she usually does.

Hadid also insisted that she has no regrets about how much she's shared on social media.

"Walking outside, being able to remember there are so many people going through things and have similar patterns to me, it makes me feel better," Hadid added. "I don't know if that's not what people want on Instagram, and that's fine. I don't have to be on Instagram forever. I feel like real is the new real, and that's what's important to me."