Ruby Barker went to social media on Thursday to open up about her mental health. The 25-year-old Bridgerton actress shared a video from the hospital where she has been receiving treatment, saying she has “been really unwell for a really long time.”
“I have been struggling,” Barker said. “I’m in the hospital, I’m gonna get discharged soon and hopefully continue with my life. I’m gonna take a little bit of a break for myself. And I want to encourage others. If you are struggling, please do yourself a favor. Take a break. Stop being so hard on yourself.”
The rising star acknowledged Mental Health Week as she posted her video on Instagram.
“Mental health week is every week for me,” she wrote. “Off my chest. I feel like I’ve not been completely honest so this is for my followers. Time to be transparent. I’ve been struggling since Bridgerton, this is the truth. Thank you all for supporting me, your love holds me up.”
Barker emphasized the need to change the dialogue around mental health.
“People want to have conversations, but we don’t even really know how to have a conversation,” she said in her video.
The actress also described herself as somebody who didn’t know how to talk about mental health.
“I was carrying the weight of the world on my back,” she said. “Now, I’m at a point where I have a diagnosis and I will talk to you about that at another time. But I have a diagnosis and I’m relinquishing myself and forgiving myself and drawing a line in the sand.”
Barker gave credit to Australian artist Sexton as she donned the musician’s hoodie, Yahoo reports. The 25-year-old said Sexton’s music “has literally brought me out of pits.” She also gave shoutouts to her friends, as well as to Netflix and Bridgerton executive producer Shonda Rhimes.
“I need to thank Shonda Rhimes for saving me and giving me an opportunity,” she said.
Barker continued to thank more people as she reflected on what she has overcome. The TV star said it was her supporters who lifted her when she was feeling alone and feeling like her brain was going to explode because of the pressure she was putting on herself.
“You have to realize that you’re held and people love you,” she said. “Be kind to yourself, be gentle. Also learn and understand what that really means. I didn’t know what that means because I was harboring so much energy and so much frustration and so much pain from my past.”
Barker plans to have more conversations about mental health in the future. The actress showed more gratitude for her supporters and left her fans with words of encouragement.
“I cannot wait to fulfill all of my engagements and to have a good career and a good life. Because I do not want my diagnosis to be a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said. “I want to survive and I will survive, and I’m going to. And so are you. That’s the beauty of it, so are you. If you’re with me, you’re in good hands. Thank you.”
