Colton Underwood Gets Candid About Mental Health, Shares Experience And How He Got Help

Colton Underwood recently reflected on some of his more challenging times in the past. The former reality star previously came out as gay following his season on “The Bachelor” and very public relationship with Cassie Randolph.

The confession was accompanied by a considerable amount of online backlash, which Underwood described as a dark period in his life that led to a “major mental health crisis.” He said he felt “isolated, misunderstood and confused,” all of which is past now.

He recently got engaged to a political strategist named Jordan C. Brown and is happier than ever. In his recent social media post, Underwood revealed that he got the help he needed at the time from professionals as well as from his family and friends. He added that he wanted people in similar situations to be inspired by his personal story and know it’ll get better.

The reality star took to Instagram on Friday to share a shirtless picture of himself and an emotional caption detailing how tough he’s had it the past few months. The 30-year-old stood beside a paddleboard with his dog beside him in the picture.

In the caption, the former “The Bachelor” star revealed that the photo was one of his best ones for several reasons. However, it wasn’t for “the reasons many would think.” He wrote, “The reason I like it so much is that, at this time in my life, I was at my lowest and holding on to a secret that felt more like a ticking time bomb.”

Underwood revealed that during the time he wasn’t able to eat healthily, he abused drugs and overall hated himself. “When I look at this picture, I’m reminded of how far I’ve come. It’s a reminder that even in moments that the world feels like it’s coming down on me, it’s not. I now have the perspective of being on the other side of things.”

According to the former professional football player, he eventually got the help he needed professionally and from family and friends. He continued, “I got help from professionals, my family and my friends. They quite literally brought me back to life by loving and supporting me through this time.”

During his sharing, Underwood revealed that he wanted his personal story to be an inspiration to people in similar situations that may be going through hard times. He assured his readers that despite whatever they were facing, “it will get better.”

The 30-year-old wrote, “It’s a reminder to everyone that no matter how dark and traumatic it seems for you right now, it will get better. Ask for help, take care of your brain and check on your friends/family. May is mental health month, and I want to continue to share my lessons learned and small victories.”

Earlier this month, the reality star made a post concerning mental health awareness and some things he would have loved to know when he was younger. Underwood revealed that during that time, he felt ‘isolated, misunderstood and scared,” and he wasn’t getting the support he wanted.

He wrote, “I went through a major mental health crisis myself. I felt isolated, misunderstood, and scared… The support and conversations I needed to have needed to be in person, and that wasn’t an option.” Underwood added that if he could go back in time, he would tell his younger self that the brain was really “good at play tricks on you.”

The former “Bachelor” continued, “Very rarely are you in a situation that is as extreme as your brain likes to play it out to be. I had so much anxiety as a kid and would always play out the worst-case scenarios in my head.” He then assured his readers that despite what they were going through at the moment, they weren’t alone.

Underwood’s comments concerning his struggle with his mental health are possibly tied to when he publicly came out as gay in April 2021. The former professional football player revealed his sexuality during an appearance on a “Good Morning America” episode. This was after his season on “The Bachelor” and his public relationship with Cassie Randolph.

Underwood and Randolph started dating after the 30-year-old chose her at the end of his “The Bachelor” season in 2019. A year later, the duo broke up, and Randolph filed a temporary restraining order against the reality star. According to the 27-year-old, he was stalking and harassing her. Randolph eventually dropped the charges a little over a month later.

During an interview with Variety, Underwood apologized for his actions, adding that that didn’t represent how he was as a human being. Since then, the reality star has seemingly moved in and is in a better place. He is currently engaged to a political strategist Brown and couldn’t be happier.