Jameela Jamil Spoke Out About The Power Of Therapy In A Must-Read Instagram Post

This very much feels like the good place, one where mental health is spoken about candidly: Jameela Jamil’s post about therapy highlights the power of mental health care. The Good Place star took to social media over the weekend to reflect on the healing powers of therapy for mental health. On Instagram, Jamil shared a photo of herself holding up a gold "happy" balloon against a maroon backdrop. In the post, she reflected on her experiences in therapy.

Jamil wrote, "It’s ok not to be. Well done for just getting through the damn day. Nothing wrong or embarrassing about getting help either. I had a therapy called EMDR that I used for depression, anxiety, eating disorder issues and PTSD, and if you should be lucky enough to access any mental healthcare I would urge you to spend your money on that before ANYTHING else that isn’t a necessity for your life. Saved my life. Love you."

The self-proclaimed feminist-in-progress is all about the movement of nurturing mental health. Last year, Jamil launched I Weigh, an online community that aims to celebrate and amplify body positivity and self acceptance. I Weigh’s Instagram biography reads, “I Weigh is about radical inclusivity, so that no one feels alone. Our job is to amplify, advocate, and pass the mic.”

In an interview with Bustle in July 2018, Jamil spoke at length about what emboldened her to launch I Weigh. According to the actor, she "snapped one day" after seeing an Instagram post that outlined the weight of the Kardashian and Jenner sisters. "Men are told to be successful enough to date a supermodel, women are told just to be a supermodel. This is ridiculous. It’s so empty and boring," she told Bustle at the time. "So I felt empty and bored, and I snapped one day when I saw that Instagram post that took five, six, however many of them there are — loads of successful business women — and just wrote their weight across them as if that was their net worth."

Since then, Jamil has been on a mission to advocate for self acceptance and mental health. Additionally, The Good Place actor's recent Instagram post isn’t the first time she's gotten candid about mental health and therapy. In an interview with Elle in January, she spoke candidly about taking care of her body through therapy. She told Elle,

"I did EMDR therapy, which is a specific kind of therapy that removes the conditioning of irrational thought. So it goes right to the core of the problem. It's very good for PTSD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and OCD — all of which I had. Within a matter of months, it just sort of extracted the root of the problem, which meant that I didn't have to deal with the symptoms anymore."

She added, "I also made the decision… that most of my money that I would spend on corrective or beauty items I'd save up for therapy. I started doing that when I was 29, and that was probably the biggest act of self love I've ever done… I just put all of my money into a piggy bank that I would've spent on must have products. I just did therapy and then bought myself some self love."

It's great that Jamil uses her platform to advocate for such important issues. If you or someone you know would like to seek help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).