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Paramore's Hayley Williams did not let World Mental Health Day go by without sharing her own journey with mental health in a very candid message to fans via her hair dye company's social media.
On the Good Dye Young Instagram, a company she started with her longtime hair stylist and makeup artist Brian O'Connor, Williams opened up about struggling with depression and "a specific kind of PTSD," and how it affects her not only mentally, but physically. She explained, "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. Admittedly, I'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. I'd been told prior by my doctor that I had chronic fatigue but still, I didn't appreciate how interconnected my mind and body really were. This kind of fatigue is becoming more and more common, by the way. It can seem pretty impossible to thrive, holistically, in the modern world."
Hayley continued on by praising the mental health professionals that have surrounded her to help educate her about mental health, as well as provide specific support to her. She shared, "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 are are. Small wins do help. 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."
The Paramore rocker went on to highlight several organizations in hopes of encouraging anyone else struggling with mental health to reach out including Inclusive Therapists, Therapy For Black Girls and the Trevor Project.
There are really good people doing incredible work to make a path to mental wellness more equitable and efficient and I'd love to highlight a few, so that if you feel drawn to any of them, you can reach out.