May was Mental Health Awareness Month and to close things out, Hailey Baldwin Bieber posted a video on her YouTube channel about her mental health journey. She talked about her experience with therapy, including getting over her initial doubts, and building a healthier relationship with social media. The social media talking point is a very obvious one. It affects all of us so it makes celebs relatable, but the rest is interesting to hear from her because Hailey does give off that perception of being very together.
Hailey Baldwin Bieber is getting candid about how therapy has been a “game changer” in her life.
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.”
“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.”
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.”
Maybe Hailey seems super together in comparison to who she is most closely associated with because I definitely did have that view of her and didn’t know much about her before her marriage. In general, I don’t necessarily think celebs have it “all together,” but they are able to hire enough people to have things together for them. Like, I too would be perfectly put together and have a smoothly-run life if I could hire multiple people to help me with all that. But what she says about career/money not buying happiness definitely rings true. Isn’t there a study that says people aren’t significantly happier once they pass a certain annual salary? Anyway, Hailey admitting to her initial reservations about therapy is helpful for others feeling the same way. It can be really hard to admit to your struggles when it seems like no one else around you is struggling. And it’s great that she can talk to her therapist and feel safe and not judged, because unfortunately that’s not always the case.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, Instar, Getty Images and via Instagram
I’m so glad you highlighted the point about finding a therapist that doesn’t judge you.
I was A “popular” teen – played sports and did clubs and all that. I also Cut myself and had an eating disorder. Therapy is NOT something my family really bought in to but my parents tried and found me one.
She was a Middle Aged miserable hag. She would spend each session telling me to “get over it” and that she would “kill for a body like mine”. Told me that I had nothing to be upset about. Like yeah lady that’s why I’m here?
17 years later i tried again with a new therapist, I’ve got some serious anxiety disorders and a little lexapro has changed my life. Keep going.
@Crowhood – I’m so sorry that your first therapist was terrible. Taking that first step of going to therapy, especially when family isn’t necessarily sold on it, only to have a therapist not affirm you is disappointing. I’m glad you stuck with it! During the pandemic, I went through three different therapists before I found one that was a good fit for me.
I had a therapist roll her eyes at me over something I was upset over. And was so dismissive over it. Since she was a widow and would tell me that was the worst thing in the world in comparison to my ‘little problem’ I never went back. Bad therapists are so dangerous. But good ones can open the world to you. If you aren’t happy find someone else.
Thank you so much for the kind comments. I agree With the statement that a bad therapist is dangerous – you’re already feeling a little distanced from reality trying to figure out why your brain isn’t responding “normally” and then you’re dismissed or gas lit by a medical professional.
So thankful for the comments and wisdom on this website. Sending peace to you all.
Ugh. I’m sorry you went through this. I had a similar experience a few years ago with one being very dismissive because here are the reasons his childhood was worse. Totally didn’t know it was a trauma contest.
Crowhood, super advice and very good point. I’m glad you found a therapist who supports you and have the right medication, too.
The more you earn, the happier you are until a certain threshold and after that, more money has basically no effect on your overall happiness.
I understand what celebs mean when they say all that money doesn’t make you happy but people, it helps. If you really think it doesn’t help, donate it and live in a 1-bedroom. Come on. And therapy isn’t cheap either so money can at the very least buy you every opportunity for support.
Apparently happiness plateaus if you make $75,000 annually….and Americans earning $85,000 are happier than those who don’t 🤷🏼♀️
https://www.businessinsider.com/money-buys-happiness-depending-on-income-level-2021-1?amp
There are very few celebrities I think “have it all together“. Even the ones who present their lives as perfect usually have some troubles and issues too- as do most people. They’re human.
Being a celebrity is a cottage industry and you have a team of people around you propping you up. Sending out an image through carefully constructed PR planning.
So she isn’t wrong about the façade of it all.
But she also married someone who has an army of young girls who thought ‘they’ were going to be the one to marry him. Or saw ownership over their fantasy of him. So the SM backlash was always going to be huge compared to another woman marrying a famous person.
Though they seem to have been able to keep it together and weather the storms.
I really like Hailey Bieber. She’s one of the more grounded and down-to-earth celebs out there and seems sweet and caring. She’s handled herself well in the spotlight over the years, especially when she gets harassed constantly by crazy Selena fans who think she shouldn’t be with Justin. They are absolutely vicious toward Hailey and it’s so sad! I think that would take a toll on my mental health.
I agree that it’s helpful that she’s putting this out there for a lot of others who are reluctant to start therapy. I think it can be very helpful once you find a good therapist. I know it can be trial and error, and it’s so tough to open up to begin with, so I sympathize with the struggles people are facing when it comes to this.
I had a therapist many years ago who used to fall asleep in sessions. I would just sit quietly. Had no idea what to do. I’ve since had better therapists.
@Lola- me too! My therapist would fall asleep and I would sit there uncomfortably feeling like my problems (and I) were so boring she couldn’t stay awake for it. What a weird experience that was. When I finally brought it up to her she got really defensive and blamed me for not waking her up! Um, lady, that’s not my role in this relationship. Needless to say I stopped seeing her and now I have a therapist who truly has helped me change my life and thought patterns for the better. She’s amazing.
Is she edging into just using her maiden name again?
I’m really glad famous people are speaking out about mental health. But with the state of things today, I’m angry that this privileged woman with the fabulously wealthy woman is just telling us poors that we should consider therapy with no apparent awareness that mental health care is unavailable or too expensive for many. If this were Meghan, this interview would be in connection with an actual charitable action she’s taking to help others. But it’s just Hailey Baldwin Bieber, so no.
Agreed. She could do better.
ClaireB, I was thinking the same thing. With all her money, privilege and spare time, help other people get the benefits she does. Let this be her project and I’d hope she’d get satisfaction from actually helping people.