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Bella Hadid is the latest celebrity to abandon social media to focus on her well-being. After taking a few weeks to prioritize her mental health, the 24-year-old model, whose real name is Isabella Khair Hadid, returned, sharing with her followers the essential lessons she learned during her Instagram cleanse.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
According to Hadid, she wants to help others and spread positive vibes from now on. “I am only here to be an instrument of peace & love to help people that suffer and hopefully the world, in time,” she continued. ”Thank you to my angels who have supported and have continued to love me, for me. You saved me. Take time to get help for your mental health. It‘s worth it to get to your full potential.”
The model also shared several photos, including Jean Campbell’s quote: “All healing begins with a reconnection to self. By growing in understanding and connection to our own passions, hurt, values, challenges, and dreams, we can, in turn, develop deeper, more authentic relationships with others.”
The images also showed her spiritual books, and her collection of rocks and gems, plus a blurry snap of Hadid practicing equitation.
Other celebrities who decided to put their phones down and connect with the surroundings include Ed Sheeran, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Chrissy Teigen, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and more. The beauty of taking a break from social media is that anyone can benefit from it. “Seeing others’ curated, polished images of only happy moments or attractive photos can set up an unrealistic expectation of ourselves and the destructive experience of constantly comparing oneself with others,” said Christine Moutier, M.D., to SELF. Moutier is a practicing psychiatrist and chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
According to Jacqueline Nesi, a clinical psychology Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina, although social media is a good way to interact with our loved ones, there is a fine line between using it to keep in touch and spending hours browsing due to fear of missing out. “Social media can be a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and family, but excessively using social media—at the expense of in-person interactions with friends or family—can negatively impact relationships and well-being,” Nesi told SELF.