Tons of celebrities we know and love have taken to their social media accounts in recent days to share messages to mark the start of the new year. We've seen throwback pictures, fancy NYE outfits, recaps of 2019, and hopeful messages for the year to come. But when it comes to powerful New Year's posts that made an impact, Diddy pretty much nailed it. He took to Instagram to talk about something we don't often hear celebrities speak on: depression.
While plenty of people imagine that celebrities might be immune to depression, Diddy had a lot to say on the topic. Mainly, that no one is immune to it no matter how much money they have. He opened up about the difficult year he had in 2019. It was a revealing post, especially because we haven't heard him talk about his mental struggles much before, but the plea he made to his followers was even more intense.
It seemed like 2019 was a pretty tough year for a lot of folks. But Diddy surprised just about everyone when he took to Instagram to share that it was a tough year for him, too. Just because he's a megastar doesn't mean he's immune to feeling down or even suffering a deep "dark depression."
He started off the video by greeting his followers and saying "2019 was a crazy year." In the two-and-a-half minute post, he shared about how hard of a year it seemed to be for many people, himself included. "The energy was real real heavy out there," he shared. It was clear early on in the post that he had a lot to say about his mental state over the past year.
He continued, saying, "I even got affected by it. 2019 was a year that I honestly felt like I wanted to give up." He detailed little about the actual events that took place in his own life, but he did hint at feeling lost and like he didn't know where he was going. He also spoke directly to people who were going through difficulties of their own, such as loss, heartbreak, or depression.
It might be tough for fans to believe that Diddy had a tough year. But that seemed to be a lot of what he was speaking about — the idea that celebrities can't get depressed because they have it all. But regardless of money and resources, celebrities can still battle with their emotions. Seeing a star like Diddy — a rich and powerful man — open up, was moving to a lot of his followers.
In addition to the reveal that in 2019 he went through his own "dark depression," as he called it, the most emotional part of his video came when he talked about moving forward. Diddy spoke about just how hard life can feel and how people need to be able to lean on one another in order to move forward. It was incredibly heartfelt and a powerful message at the start of a new year.
"For a whole year, I went through a really dark state of depression," he revealed. But he continued, "I'm telling ya'll this because I had so many people to help me … to help lift me up." For Diddy, like so many others, it seems like having support was the most crucial part in getting through his dark time.
"There are so many people that are dealing with depression," he said, shaking his head. It felt incredibly honest and real, especially how much he wanted to express that helping others is so important. "Lift 'em up," he pleaded as he continued speaking.
Soon after the post went live, it started to gain traction. People expressed how glad they were to hear Diddy talk about such an important topic. The post currently has over a million views on Instagram and has reached so many people. The comments section is also filled with kind words and personal stories.
Putting up a revealing Instagram post might not seem like a huge deal. Diddy is in the public eye, after all. But it's so important that people with massive platforms continue to share struggles that help others feel seen and heard. Diddy did just that and started off the new year on an honest foot.
It definitely seems like Diddy's heart is in the right place, and it's definitely going to make a powerful impact. The more that is shared about emotional struggles like depression, the more we learn about it and the more we can do to combat the stigma against it. Like the rapper said, so many people struggle with depression. It shouldn't be shameful, and talking about our problems can have huge, positive benefits.
Here's to lifting one another up in 2020.
