Mara Wilson Opens Up About Depression and Anxiety [VIDEO]
Mara Wilson is working to erase the stigma surrounding mental health issues by speaking openly about her own struggles with both depression and anxiety.
The former child actress created a video with the help of Project UROK, a nonprofit organization that deals with helping teenagers who struggle with mental illness. The video sees Mara speaking candidly about the battles she’s fought against various issues like anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
She says, “I wish somebody had told me that it’s okay to be anxious, that you don’t have to fight it, that in fact fighting it makes it worse. That pushing it away is really what it is — it’s the fear of fear.”
Mara goes on to encourage people to reach out for help, saying, “It’s okay to be depressed. Not that it’s okay, but it’s not a romantic thing. You don’t have to be depressed. You don’t have to suffer with it, you can get help, you can reach out. Also, sort of on the flip side of that — being anxious and fighting that anxiety is just going to make it worse. I wish that I had fought my depression and not fought my anxiety as much."
She ends the video by expressing that as isolating as mental illness can be, many people face similar struggles. She said, "These are things that so many people go through, and this is something that everybody can deal with and can overcome…you are not the only one that has this. Other people can and have fought these battles before. You are not alone."
You can check out the full video above.
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