Willow Smith recently opened up to the public about her experience with mental health issues.
Willow’s celebrity and life in the limelight need no in-depth exploration.
It’s hard to escape the spotlight when your parents, Will and Jada, are some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. With that comes a lot of pressure. Expectations are extremely high. And there are without a doubt many dynamics that must be dealt with to maintain a certain image. And one can only imagine the amount of strength it takes to be vulnerable in such a position.
Willow Smith is showing an unimaginable strength with her transparency.
According to Willow, she too has been battling mental health issues.
Anxiety attacks have been a real challenge for her throughout her time in the music industry. And that feeling doesn’t go away overnight. In fact, according to statements she has made, she still faces challenges. Those challenges may not be in the same form as she first experienced them, but the effects linger. And even now, she’s still working out the significance and impact of those former moments. In discussing her former experiences and the reaction of others, she relates her process of coming to terms with what was happening.
“Now, I look back and know it was an anxiety attack. [I] tell myself that, ‘You’re not nine, you’re a grown-ass woman.’ I have to retrain my mind
In her finding that understanding and acceptance, she is experiencing growth. Willow is coming into her own.
My mental health is in a very fragile state, but I think it’s in a state where it’s about to grow in a really awesome way.”
Mental health is a real issue that needs greater attention.
And we must applaud those like Willow, Naomi, and Simone who lead the way to improved wellness and wholeness in our community. With great hopes that through their vulnerability, others will see themselves and understand the importance of self-care. Perhaps more people will understand that sometimes it’s okay not to be okay. Irrespective of status or standing, we are all human. Maintaining mental health is significant.
With that, Willow is proving herself an upstanding and outstanding leader brave enough to face her challenges head-on. There is nothing more worthy of support than that.
Renae Richardson|
