‘I found myself again’: Bella Hadid opens up about taking a break from social media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bella Hadid has opened up about taking a short social media break, and how it has affected her mental health.
The model, who usually posts daily on Instagram, spent a couple of weeks away from the platform to "reflect" and "learn about myself".
The 24-year-old posted on Instagram on Thursday 23 January explaining why she'd taken time away from posting.
She wrote that books had seen her through her time offline, and shared a series of images, including a stack of books on spirituality, a CD player, some crystals and herself horse-riding.
In her post, Hadid admitted she has "always lacked" a sense of self love, and that her time away from social media has helped her "find my light again".
She wrote: "I took some time away to reflect and learn about myself in a way that would be too much to explain at the moment, but with time I will express.
"The memories and fortune I came back with are pure wisdom, a closer relationship with myself & my spirituality, a sense of self-love that I have always lacked, a few great friends, and these books that saw me through. I found myself, my strength and my light again."
The star concluded by urging her followers to "take the time to get help for your mental health", adding: "It’s worth it to get to your full potential."
Last summer, Hadid took to Instagram to inform her fans about the "aggressive symptoms" she experiences due to Lyme disease.
The 24-year-old was first diagnosed with the condition, which spreads to humans by infected ticks, in 2012.
In a series of Instagram stories, some shared from the account of Joudie Kalla, a Palestinian chef and fellow Lyme disease sufferer, Hadid referred to the illness as an “invisible disease”.
In one post, Hadid shared a diagram of the ways Lyme disease can affect people, adding arrows to the symptoms she experiences on a daily basis.
Among the symptoms highlighted by the model were headaches, brain fog, sensitivity to light and noise, thyroid dysfunction, inflammation, joint pain and numbness.
Alongside the list, she wrote: “Everyday I feel at least 10 of these attributes without fail... since I was probably 14, but more aggressively when I turned 18.”
According to the NHS, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks and is usually easier to treat if it is diagnosed early.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments