Kristen Bellis opening up about the toll the COVID-19 pandemic took on her mental health.
In the cover story forSelf’s May issue, which coincides with mental health awareness month, the actress, 40, spoke about herjourney with anxiety and depression, which she has experienced since she was a teenager.
“I know that I present someone who is very bubbly and happy all the time, and a lot of the time I am, because I have really good tools,” she said. “But there are definitely days when the alarm goes off and I go, ‘No, I’m staying right here. Nothing’s worth it…. I’m just going to stay in this cocoon because I need to; because I feel very, very, very vulnerable.’ "
Over the course of the pandemic, the mother of two said that she has sometimes had “trouble distinguishing between my emotions and someone else’s emotions, and that’s not a compliment to myself. That’s a very dangerous thing to toy with.”
She says she was at times in a “mental zone that wasn’t healthy for my family to be around.”
Kristen Bell.Pat Martin
Afterwards, she said she remembered thinking, “‘How dare you?’ But also, ‘You’re right.’ "
Taking her husband’s advice, she went on to give blood to the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center and also donated to No Kid Hungry.
Fortunately, Bell said she has some “good tools” to help her get through any struggles: exercise and meditation.
As far as her personal mantra, the actress said she tells herself to “do the right thing” which often means “get your ass up and go walk around the block.”
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In order to unwind and unplug, the actress has also been doing a lot of puzzles recently.
“I puzzle a lot because I find it to be the best way to get people to stop talking to you,” she said, adding that it’s also refreshing knowing that “there’s a place for each piece.”
source: people.com
