Empowering Progress On Your Mental Health
- Kristen Bell has opened up about her mental health and how she deals with “life-balance,” as an actress, mom of two, and loving wife.
- Bell has used many tools to care for her mental health, including therapy, meditation, and medication.
- Speak with a psychologist or therapist to help you navigate your mental health journey, as your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
- In order to keep your mental health in check, it's important to be aware of signs which can be subtle that there is something affecting your mind.
- If you are feeling unusually sad or on-edge, know that there are many treatment options available and many different healthy ways to help you cope. These include talk therapy, medication, and meditation.
Earlier this year, “The Good Place” actor partnered with online telehealth platform Hers and become the company’s first Mental Health Ambassador.
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“It’s so triggering to me sometimes because there’s always going to be a give and take. There’s always going to be a shift. I have 100% of a pie, and if I’m giving 50% here, that only leaves 50%,” Bell said.
“But I try to keep in mind that my value as a human being is not dictated by what projects I’m booking or my television and film career.”
RELATED: Actor Kristen Bell Honors Cancer Caregivers: 'I Know What it's Like to Lose Someone'
She explained further, “It is sort of dictated by how my friends and family interact with me and so I try to do my best work while I’m at work and then go home and really refuel myself as a real human being with my friends and my family and my job as a wife and a mother.”
Bell, who also previously revealed she’d been struggling with her mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic, admitted to TZR that her feelings of anxiety and insecurity gradually got better as she focused on her relationships in life, with family, friends, and even herself.
“I began realizing that the Kristen who goes on a hike by herself and enjoys the sunlight is just as important and valued as the Kristen who appears in ‘Frozen.’ Then I was like, ‘Oh wait, this is a game that’s in my head. I can choose to value both.'”
The “Bad Moms” actress also credited self-awareness and therapy for helping her through difficult times.
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She explained, “If I’m feeling negative for more than a few days at a time maybe I should call my therapist. Sharing things, being open … I have a tendency to withdraw when I’m not feeling optimistic and I think that comes out of a very deep seated anxiety that I won’t be loved if I’m not optimistic.
“So that’s why I’m always trying to present it and lead with it […] Continuing my routine, talking to people, staying consistent with my medication, going outside and turning down my negative voice have been the tools that have allowed me to value who I am as a person now and not really let the whole Hollywood industry interfere with it as much.”
Bell has also had a hard time balancing the role as a parent, adding, “At least once a day I’m like, ‘I’m ruining them, I’m ruining them!’ and then they do something that I find really impressive and I’m happy again.
“I think my acceptance of the rollercoaster of feelings has helped a lot because the reality is you can only try to be as good of a support system as you know how to be.”
Kristen Bell’s Mental Health Journey
In an interview with PEOPLE magazine earlier this year, Bell said that it’s important for her to share her mental health journey and challenges.
"The thing that is of the highest priority to me is sharing my personal journey. Because it provides a little bit of authenticity to who I am,” she said.
“Prior to sharing what my struggles were with anxiety and depression, I recognized that my picture publicly was this sort of bubbly actress that probably didn't have any dark days.”
Bell credited her husband, actor and Armchair Expert podcast host, Dax Shepard, with helping her come forward with her struggles. Shepard publicly battled drug and alcohol addiction and has been transparent about his sobriety journey.
The actress told the magazine how she was initially scared at the thought of sharing her vulnerable moments, like a mental health struggle. She says she was worried about being judged for it. There is no shame is being open about mental health struggles, and we love it when public figures like Bell amplify this with their message smashing the stigma in the process.
Bell, who has used many tools to care for her mental health, including therapy, meditation, and medication, added, “”People need to know there is comfort and resources around them in all shapes and sizes.”
She recounted, “My mom said to me in my early 20s, 'Don't ever feel shame in taking an antidepressant because would you ever shame someone who has diabetes for taking their insulin? No, your body needs it.'”
SN & You Presents Mental Health Coping With Emotions
Mental Health: The Basics
The term mental health refers to both our emotional and psychological well-being. Our mental health can affect how we think, feel, and behave. Certain triggers like stress, traumatic events, or change in your physical health can affect mental health. That’s why it’s important to keep tabs on your mental health, which could mean seeking treatment for some. This doesn't necessarily mean traditional therapy because while it may be really helpful (even life-changing) for some, that doesn't mean it's for everyone.
Problems with mood and overall mental well-being can be attributed to several factors. For some people it's genetic, while others may be experiencing a response to some sort of stressor or past trauma.
Learning To Cope With Mental Health Struggles
"I think flexibility is really a core of how to manage it," Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, tells SurvivorNet. "Are your coping strategies that you're using now, are they helpful in the way that they were in the past?"
Dr. Boardman suggests working to recognize any negative thoughts that may be making the process of cancer treatment more difficult, and trying to dismantle those to be more "realistically optimistic."
Related: Responding to Stress: How to Cope With Complex & Changing Emotions
In order to keep your mental health in check, it's important to be aware of signs which can be subtle that there is something affecting your mind. These signs include:
- A change in eating or sleeping habits
- Losing interest in people or usual activities
- Experiencing little or no energy
- Numb and/or hopeless feelings
- Turning to drinking or drugs more than usual
- Non-typical angry, upset, or on-edge feelings
- Yelling/fighting with loved ones
- Experiencing mood swings
- Intrusive thoughts
- Trouble getting through daily tasks
These symptoms can be wide-ranging and vary a great deal from person to person. Everyone experiences grief differently, for example. However, if you are feeling unusually sad, on-edge, or like you're no longer interested in activities you used to love, know that there are many treatment options available and many different healthy ways to help you cope.
Finding the Right Option for Mental Health Needs
Whether it is life-balance, a loss of a loved one, or a change in life brought on by a cancer diagnosis, “grief comes in waves,”says Dr. Scott Irwin, a psychiatrist and Director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
“They're grieving the change in their life, the future they had imagined is now different,” he told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. Some days can be tougher than others, but Dr. Irwin says talk therapy can be really helpful so it's important to reach out to your doctor, to a therapist, or to support groups in your community if you are struggling.
Dealing With Grief Related to Health Problems
Treatment options for people struggling with mental health really run the gamut. While some people may benefit from seeking the help of a psychologist and getting on medication, others see great improvement by simply implementing some lifestyle changes, such as prioritizing exercise and cutting back on alcohol.
Those struggling should know that they are not alone about one in five American adults has experienced some sort of mental health issue, according to mentalhealth.gov. However, what worked to help someone else cope may not necessarily help you as treatment must be individualized.
To maintain a positive mindset and address mental health struggles you may be having, treatment may include:
- Seeking professional help from a psychiatrist or therapist
- Learning healthy coping skills
- Medication such as antidepressants
- Adding more physical activity to your routine
- Adjusting your sleep schedule
- Connecting with others via support groups
- Mindfulness and meditation
No Reason to Feel Shame
Bell’s openness will hopefully help people realize there is no reason to be embarrassed about seeking out mental health tools and taking time to focus on mental health.
There's nothing to be ashamed of and it is important to realize you are not alone. The CDC reports that more than 20% of American adults said they sought out mental health treatment over the past year, according to a 2020 survey. Among those people, 16.5% said they had taken some sort of medication for their mental health and 10.1% said they had received counseling or therapy.
The term mental health refers to both our emotional and psychological well-being. Our mental health can affect how we think, feel, and behave. There are also certain triggers as stress, traumatic events, or a change in your physical health can all affect mental health.
It's really important to keep tabs on your mental health and, if necessary, seek treatment. This doesn't necessarily mean traditional therapy because while it may be really helpful (even life-changing) for some, that doesn't mean it's for everyone.
Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychologist, told SurvivorNet it's important to be “realistically optimistic” when learning to cope with mental health struggles.
How to Be Realistically Optimistic: Coping With Mental Health Long-Term
Problems with mood and overall mental well-being can be attributed to several factors. For some people it's genetic, while others may be experiencing a response to some sort of stressor or past trauma.
"I think flexibility is really a core of how to manage it," Dr. Boardman. "Are your coping strategies that you're using now, are they helpful in the way that they were in the past?"
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.