Tess Holliday Shares Honest Post About Depression: 'No, I'm Not Okay'

The model and body-positive activist is sharing how she’s trying to take care of herself amid depression

The thing about bouts of depression is they can come on at any time, whether they’re triggered by a certain emotional event or not. You have no control over the timing or the depth of the episode. All you can do is ride the wave and try your best to take care of yourself once your recognize it for what it is — and that’s exactly what Tess Holliday is doing.

“Hi, it’s your fav crybaby here,” Holliday captions in her most recent Instagram post. “It’s been a week since I’ve posted on here, or used any other social media & tbh, I’ve been tempted to not come back at all.”

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She explains that this particular depressive episode has been particularly difficult for her, and that she’s navigating her way through it with therapy, exercise, and a little herbal therapy (whatever works, I say).

“I’m grateful that my career is doing well enough that I’m able to take a step back and work on myself in a really intense & meaningful way,” she says. Which is very important — it takes a depth of emotional intelligence to know that it being successful and having a generally pleasant life that you are thankful for is not an automatic barrier to mental health issues.

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Not everyone realizes that, and unfortunately, many people are quick to judge the validity of mental health struggles for a variety of reasons — which just makes it all the more important that people like Tess Holliday feel comfortable sharing their experiences. Especially the fact that she can recognize what she needs to do in order to take care of herself during this difficult time: stay away from social media.

While Holliday certainly has plenty of fans and support on her Instagram account, there are always trolls and naysayers who show up to shame her about her weight and a million other things.

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“Social media is a great tool for connecting with others, & blah blah blah… but it’s not good for me right now,” she concludes. “So for y’all asking, no, I’m not okay, but I’m making steps towards being ok.”

And that’s all you can do. Sending love and light her way.