Bella Hadid Doubles Down On ‘Anxiety’ Struggles

Bella Hadid finds much-needed solidarity amid her ongoing debacle with chronic Lyme disease!

The model took to Instagram to share another side to Lyme disease, which includes debilitating anxiety and everything in between, after another patient echoed the same thoughts.

Bella Hadid was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease in 2012 at the age of 16, alongside her mother, Yolanda Hadid, and brother, Anwar Hadid, the same year.

Alexandra Wildeson’s candid thoughts on Instagram absolutely captured Bella’s state of mind as she shared them on her Instagram Story. The chronic illness content creator had detailed her experience with her health challenges.

“Chronic illness is one long exercise in contradiction- a body that’s always doing too much and never enough at the same time,” she began. She detailed how hard it feels to live a normal life and everyone’s expectations about carrying on like it’s “business as usual.”

She emphasized that chronic illness survivors are not alone, should their symptoms ever feel overwhelming to handle. “Our bodies don’t make sense. Our needs don’t match. But somehow, we still find a way to live inside all this duality,” Wilderson added.

Hadid, in her story, thanked the content creator for helping give life to the words in her head. The model wrote in her caption, “The medical anxiety is soooo real. Thank you for putting every one of my thoughts and daily situations into one swipe. The truuuuuth!”

Last month, The Blast noted that Hadid celebrated World Mental Health Day with a detailed Instagram page about mental health and the need to stay strong and hold on to hope through it all.

She paid homage to Hollywood actor Robin Williams in the slide and highlighted where he noted that people don’t fake depression, they only fake being okay, and it was necessary to be kind. Bella then opened up that she has also faced a hidden mental health battle, and this has gone on for a long while.

“Something I’ve carried for many years is the weight of anxiety and depression. It can sometimes feel all-consuming, paralyzing, and invisible to the outside world, leaving you in tears before starting your day,” she wrote.

The star confessed that for a long time, she has also felt very ashamed to admit that she carried this weight due to the glamorous nature of her job. However, she has now learned to turn her weakness into a super strength, declaring:

“Over the years, I’ve learned that this is not a weakness – It’s a part of me. My sensitivity, my awareness, my empathy. In many ways, it can be a superpower.”

The model continued that through the efforts of mental health advocacy by several organizations, she was able to make headway with her depression and anxiety.

She then noted her intention to ensure that other children and everyone in need of one intervention or the other received the right kind of support. With the help of UNICEF, Hadid aimed to make access to mental health as easy as ABC and eradicate whatever luxurious status is attached to it.

“Access to mental health care is not a luxury- it’s a right. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what your story looks like, your pain and your healing matter… so so much,” Hadid declared, urging fans to lend their voices to UNICEF’s Trick-or-Treat campaign.

The media personality also attached several helplines to the post and urged anyone struggling with their mental health never to shy away from seeking help. She also assured her fans that mental health issues should never make anyone think they are unworthy of receiving love and help.

Dealing with her illness behind the scenes has been far from a pleasant experience for the model, who showed on Instagram mid-September after a two-month hiatus from her last post in early September. 

The Blast noted that while she apologized for going “MIA” and tried to appease the fans with a photo dump about her treatments and some sights, sources close to her confirmed that things were deeper than they seemed.

The source claimed that while she is usually very functional, she really struggles with being around people when things go badly. Hadid often responds to stress by retreating into her shell and lets her batteries recharge when she is alone.

The model also avoids contact with her loved ones whenever they try to check in through calls and texts. This pattern may go on for weeks until things get better, then she returns the calls and messages, but also remains honest about her availability to receive calls or the lack thereof.