Hailey Baldwin Says Therapy Was a ‘Game Changer’ for Her Mental Health: ‘I Feel Really Safe’
Hailey Rhode Bieber/YouTube
Hailey Baldwin Bieber is getting candid about how therapy has been a “game changer” in her life.
On Tuesday, the 25-year-old supermodel posted a video on her YouTube channel and opened up about her mental health journey in honor of the end of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
“There are several things I like to do to check in with myself,” she explained in the video. “One of those things being talk to somebody you trust.”
Therapy has been a part of Baldwin Bieber’s life for four years, she said, she soon found that it helped improve her emotional and mental well-being. She admitted, though, that she wasn’t initially open to the idea of going to therapy.
“It’s something that I felt not sure of in the beginning,” she said. “But the more I’ve grown, my relationship with my therapist, it has been such a game changer for me and it’s a space where I feel really safe to be able to talk about what’s going on in my mind, say things out loud and feel safe and not feel judged.”
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“I have a really hard time admitting when I’m going through a hard time,” Baldwin continued. “And the older that I get I’m learning and still developing being able to be really vulnerable and open instead of trying to have it all together all the time.”
The model added that breathing exercises and being in nature also contributed to her feeling more “at peace” and “calm.”
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Baldwin Bieber said she also recently recognized that social media — despite being a “beautiful tool” for connecting with people — has become really “taxing” on her mental health, noting her need to sometimes step away from the “negativity” that comes from commenters.
“I’m somebody who struggles with people-pleasing and really wanting everybody to like me and caring a lot about what people have to say and what they think,” she explained. “I’m just in a space where I’m trying to have the healthiest relationship with social media that I possibly can.”
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Back in 2019, Baldwin Bieber had detailed her struggles with anxiety and her decision to make an effort to be more transparent about her mental health.
“I admire people coming forward and talking about [anxiety]. We all struggle with it,” she told Glamour. “I think there’s been this stigma around it for so long. People look at celebrities who are famous or successful and think they have it all together. Like, they have such an insane career, or they make so much money, that they should be happy. But it’s really kind of the opposite.”
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Baldwin Bieber said that until now many in the industry have shied away from being open and discussing topics like this, saying there was “a pressure to keep up a facade.”
And she admitted to being one of those celebrities. “People would ask me, ‘How are you?’ and I’d be like, ‘I’m fine; I’m good.’ But really I’d be crying in my hotel room all night. You just have to be honest that life sucks sometimes. It’s hard. Things are difficult. I just think the more we are open about it, the more we can help people find solutions.”