Kristen Bell Shares Mental Health Journey And Announces Partnership With Telehealth Company

Kristen Bell is an advocate for mental health awareness and often shares her own mental health journey with others. While she's open about her journey now, it wasn't always that way for the actress, who at one point kept her struggles to herself. The "Frozen" actress recently teamed up with telehealth company, Hers, becoming their first mental health ambassador.

Bell, 42, recently spoke to PEOPLE about her journey and why she chooses to share her experience with others. "The thing that is of the highest priority to me is sharing my personal journey. Because it provides a little bit of authenticity to who I am," she said. "Prior to sharing what my struggles were with anxiety and depression, I recognized that my picture publicly was this sort of bubbly actress that probably didn't have any dark days."

She also explained that it was her husband Dax Shepard who challenged her to open up after his recovery from drug addiction, and that she was originally fearful of being judged for discussing her vulnerable moments openly. "It's because 'I'm feeling sad' is something you say to someone behind closed doors. And I don't think that's natural or normal," she explained. "People need to know there is comfort and resources around them in all shapes and sizes."

Hers provides access to mental health services, and with mental health care being a priority for Bell, it made sense for her to team up with the company. "Because it's completely private, because you can do it from your computer, because it's available 24/7, I just felt like I really wanted to be a part of amplifying that message," she explained. "I know it can help so many people and it is personalized, professional mental health care."

Bell recently shared the news of her partnership on her Instagram page captioned, " There shouldn’t be a stigma around talking about mental health or taking medication if that’s what you need to feel better! @hers helps women connect with a licensed medical provider (from the comfort of your own home!) to get a customized care plan that’s right for YOU. No stigma, no judgment, and no insurance required."

Many of her followers applauded her for speaking up and advocating for mental health awareness in the comments section. "Not enough people talk about what they are going through. We need to continue to destigmatize it ❤️??," one follower wrote. Another added, "As someone who struggles with depression I genuinely love how you speak about it. it makes me feel so seen? love u!"

For Bell, who has tried different approaches to helping her mental health, from medications to hallucinogenic mushrooms to meditation, therapy is something that's helped her in great ways. Since mental health care is not a one-size-fits-all type of deal, Bell encourages trying different approaches until you find the one that works best for you.

"Everybody's mental health journey, wellness journey is so individual. It is not one-size-fits-all. There are people with anxiety and depression that don't need medication, there are people that do, but the tools are out there," she said. "You have the ability to put as many tools inside your toolbox as you want. And having people feel empowered to take control of their mental health is incredibly important to me."

After reading the book "How to Change Your Mind" by Michael Pollan, "The Good Place" star decided to try something new - psychedelic drugs. "He really goes into detail about this underground academic community that has continued to study the effects of LSD and psilocybin on what they call 'healthy normal,' she explained during a 2021 appearance on the podcast, "Hypochondriactor." "There are aspects to those two particular drugs that the places you can go in your brain are much deeper and more healing than anything else."

Bell ultimately decided she would like to give mushrooms a try. Knowing she needed to try them in a safe environment, her husband offered to help. "I am very lucky to be married to an ex-drug addict," she joked. "Not only did he know where to get the mushrooms, he got that really nice, quality, organic, set and setting, beautiful mushroom. And then...he babysat me."

She said that the mushrooms made her "so enamored with my own body." "I had gone to the bathroom, I went to pee and I came downstairs wide-eyed and I said, 'Dax, I had to pee. I felt the sensation of having to pee and all of a sudden this beautiful lady' - and I was pointing to my legs - 'picked me up. She walked me down the hallway. She sat me down on the toilet. She rolled a little roll of toilet paper for me and just put it on my lap till I was done peeing. Then she wiped me. Then she flushed the toilet and now I'm back out here,'" she recalled. "But in my head, I had separated this body that had done so much good in my life, that has taken me through happiness and pain and workouts and laziness that I was just like, couldn't stop touching my legs going, 'You're so strong. You're so elegant.'"

Bell encourages people struggling to seek professional treatment. "During your treatment, you'll learn a lot about what this disease is, and you may or may not decide a medication is right for you," she said. "But there's a lot of different routes to feeling better, I guess is what I'd say, a lot."

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health assistance, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.