"I was in such a weird place mentally that it was really complicated for me to get out of the house and put an outfit together, especially with the anxiety of [paparazzi] being outside and all that," she told Florsheim.
She added that the past year has been a learning journey for her to accept that if people do not like the way she dresses "it doesn't matter, because it's my style."
"When I leave the house in the morning, what I think about is: Does this make me happy? Do I feel good in this and do I feel comfortable?" Hadid said.
The post detailed Hadid's struggles in the caption. "This is pretty much my everyday," she wrote at the time. "Social media is not real. For anyone struggling, please remember that."
A post shared by Bella (@bellahadid)
Hadid told WSJ Magazine that the series of photos was made up of images she would send to her mom or doctor when they asked how she was. She said this was easier than sending a text message because she was often unable to explain her feelings.
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"I would just be in excruciating and debilitating mental and physical pain, and I didn't know why. That was over the past three years," she told the publication. She added that she posted the candid photos to reassure those feeling similarly that it was okay to feel that way.
"Even though on Instagram things look so beautiful, at the end of the day, we are all cut from the same cloth. I felt like it was just good for me to be able to speak my truth and at some point I wasn't able to post nice pretty pictures anymore. I was over it," she said.
She also told WSJ Magazine she now has good days, and while she doesn't have as much anxiety as she used to, she could wake up any day and feel "the complete opposite."
Hadid added that posting about her mental health made her feel less lonely because people reached out to her to share their similar experiences: "Walking outside, being able to remember there are so many people going through things and have similar patterns to me, it makes me feel better."
Representatives for Hadid did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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