Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams shared a powerful message for World Mental Health Day while discussing her experience with PTSD and depression.
Hayley Williams is sharing the importance of mental wellbeing.
The Paramore frontwoman detailed her mental health struggles in an Instagram post for World Mental Health Day, emphasizing the necessity of access to resources for everyone.
“In 2018, after years of struggling with my mind and some frustrating health issues, I finally got diagnosed with depression and a specific kind of PTSD,” Hayley wrote in the Oct. 10 statement, via her hair-dye company Good Dye Young. “Admittedly, l’d been very ignorant about mental illness and just how all-consuming it can be. I didn’t realize it could affect your physical wellbeing too.”
The “Still Into You” singer—who opened for Taylor Swift on the European leg of The Eras Tour—then detailed how her depression and PTSD affected her body.
“I’d been told prior by my doctor that I had chronic fatigue,” Hayley continued. “Still, I didn’t appreciate how interconnected my mind and body really were. It can seem pretty impossible to thrive, holistically, in the modern world.”
The 35-year-old went on to describe the help she received and her wish for others to find the same support.
“If I didn’t have access to mental health professionals and functional doctors,” she shared, “I may have never learned these things and continued to struggle on my own, without answers. I hate thinking about how many people are stuck without answers or any tangible help.”
Hayley reminded her fans that “small wins do help,” while encouraging them to learn more through the organizations Inclusive Therapists, Therapy for Black Girls and The Trevor Project.
“Obviously there are little things we can do in the day to day to cheer ourselves up or give ourselves space to really express how we feel and who we are,” she wrote. “I’ve always turned to music, dying/changing my hair, some form of community… but sometimes you just need more support than these things can give.”
And this isn’t the first time Hayley has advocated for others to prioritize their mental health. In August, she praised fellow musician Chappell Roan for setting boundaries when it came to “predatory behavior” from fans.
“This happens to every woman I know from this business, myself included,” Hayley wrote in an Instagram Story in August, per People. “Social media has made this worse. I’m really thankful chappell is willing to address it in a real way, in real time. It’s brave and unfortunately necessary.”
