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No matter how joyous we may appear to the outside world, we’ve all experienced a piece of pain at one time or another. Some of us still hold on to that pain, while others have released it but we’re now a different person after overcoming it. The point remains that certain life events can transform into trauma, and the strategies to cope with our traumas can develop into mental health struggles. Currently, we see this process ensuing in a notable figure: Prince Harry.
Recently reported by Men’s Health, Apple TV+’s new documentary series The Me You Can’t See follows Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry as they reunite to discuss mental health and emotional well-being with several experts and participants, including musician Lady Gaga, celebrity chef Rashad Olmstead and Olympic boxer Virginia Fuch.
Only 10 minutes into the series, we see Prince Harry in a montage of moments — as a boy bottling in his feelings at his mother’s funeral and as a young adult upholding his royal duties while suppressing his more apparent discomfort — coping with pain. But now Harry, a husband and father, joins Oprah four years into his own therapy journey to articulate the words that many people need to hear: We all pay a price for keeping our struggles hidden behind a mask. “The only way to free yourself and break out is to tell the truth,” he said early on in the series.
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The current stigma and shame surrounding mental health cause many people to avoid getting help when they need it. Instead, they’d rather suffer in silence and unknowingly grow their suffering more than the illness itself. Dr. Ken Duckworth (medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness) explained in an episode that “we don't need a series on heightened high blood pressure...You know, we've done a really good job in our country and preventing cardiovascular ailments. But of course, suicide, drug overdose, these are problems that we are not successful at as a country.” In other words, people would easily obtain a prescription to lower their blood pressure, but believe they’re insane for going to therapy or taking antidepressants.
If these celebrities openly struggle with depression and anxiety, then it’s OK for you to attend therapy, too. One of the series’ goals included reducing the shame and stigma that surrounds mental health. It teaches us that “vulnerability is strength” given people with mental health issues actually thrive because of their struggles.
Lady Gaga might not be the successful musician she is today had she not overcome her trauma or Chef Olmstead might not carry his big heart and generous spirit had he not endured depression. Growing out of our pain brings power to the soul—it teaches us how to conquer our problems and bigger ones that arise in the future. By sharing your story and lending a hand to others who’ve also struggled, we can create a more compassionate society. Like Prince Harry, we can break free of the weight holding us down and travel toward a path with new opportunities to love, prosper and feel at peace.
