Singer Michelle Williams is clapping back at trolls who claim she doesn’t look like she suffers from depression.
The R&B turned gospel singer has been vocal about her own struggles with depression, even checking into a mental health facility back in July, a decision she openly shared with fans.
Williams said there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to living with and recovering from depression.
“It almost made me feel guilty for doing the work to feel better, look better and BE BETTER!!,” she wrote in a caption on Instagram. “I began to wonder how long was I supposed to walk around looking like what I had been through.”
The “Sun Will Shine Again” singer admitted that at one point during her journey she “definitely looked and felt a mess, but I made the decision to get it together!! I look at new pictures of me now [versus] 10 weeks ago and I truly thank God for bringing me this far.”
Williams also wrote some encouraging words to those in the throes of depression: “I just want to encourage someone to smile, get up, brush your teeth, comb your hair, shower, put some bronzer on, get a shape up, put some lotion on your ashy ankles, put something nice on.”
“For those of you unfamiliar with someone going through something,” the 38-year-old singer added, “pray before you speak or just smile at them and keep it moving.”
Williams has been vocal about mental health awareness throughout the years. During a 2017 interview with The Talk, she even shared her struggle with suicidal thoughts during her prime years as a member of Destiny’s Child.
“I was suicidal, I was to that place where it got so dark and heavy,” she said at the time.