Looking after herself. Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) opened up about her experiences with therapy during a candid conversation for Mental Health Awareness month.
“There are several things I like to do to check in with myself. One of those things being talk to somebody you trust,” the model, 25, said in a video posted to her YouTube channel on Tuesday, May 31, revealing that she’s been seeing a therapist for the past four years. “It’s something that I felt not sure of in the beginning. But the more I’ve grown my relationship with my therapist, it has been such a game changer for me and it’s a space where I feel really safe to be able to talk about what’s going on in my mind, say things out loud and feel safe and not feel judged.”
Bieber, who suffers from anxiety, also noted that she has had to reevaluate her relationship with social media over the years after noticing how “taxing” it can be. “I’m somebody who struggles with people-pleasing and really wanting everybody to like me and caring a lot about what people have to say and what they think,” the former Drop the Mic host explained about the opinions of her 44.7 million Instagram followers. “The negativity, the comments [can take their toll]. … I’m in a space where I’m trying to have the healthiest relationship with social media that I can.”
She concluded her message by encouraging people to speak up when they feel overwhelmed. “Just know, I understand and we’re all in it together,” the Arizona native added. “You’re not alone in what you go through, ever.”
Bieber has previously opened up about the effect social media can have on her mental health, including a time when she was called out by a TikTok user for not being “nice” to her fans.
In June 2020, she publicly apologized to the social media user, who worked as a waitress in New York when she crossed paths with the star. “Just came across this video and wanted to say so sorry if I’ve ever given you bad vibes or a bad attitude. That’s not ever my intention!” Bieber wrote at the time.
One year later, the Rhode Beauty founder reflected on the incident during a conversation with Dr. Jessica Clemons. “When I saw her video, I was so upset,” the Guess Model, who wed Justin Bieber in 2018, explained in an April 2021 YouTube video. “I felt bad that that was her experience with me, but it made me kind of frustrated because you never know what someone’s going through.”
She continued: “I remember going through times in my life where I was so sad and so heartbroken that engaging with people felt hard for me.”
Though Hailey regretted the way she behaved toward the waitress, she also confessed that being publicly called out for it opened her up to even more negative attention. “I’m a human and I made a mistake, and I acted in a way that was out of character for me,” she said. “I just don’t think that those people that try to correct me and try to tell me what I need to be and what I need to do need to be [on social media].”
