It’s been a difficult year for Teen Mom OG stars Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra.
Back in November, Catelynn checked into rehab to receive treatment for trauma and other emotional issues.
She revealed to fans that she had been coping with thoughts of suicide, and she went public with her struggle in hopes of removing the stigma surrounding mental illness and encouraging others to seek help.
Now, Catelynn’s husband, Tyler Baltierra, is following her lead by opening up about his own struggles with depression and anxiety.
In a heartfelt Instagram video posted last night, Baltierra revealed that he was experiencing a “bad day” and hoped
“Sometimes, you just don’t even really know what to say to your children. I don’t ever cry in front of [my daughter] Nova or anything. I don’t want her to feel any of that,” he explained in the video message.
“You have good days, and then you have bad days. And today is just a bad day.”
Tyler explained that he had doubts about sharing the video with his 2.2 million followers, but decided that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to offer help and support to his fans.
“But, I know I’m not the only one feeling like this. So if you’re in that same boat as me, just hang in there and you’re not alone and talk to somebody,” he said at one point.
He further explained that he was posting about his own issues not to seek help, but to assure others that they’re not alone in struggling:
“I’m posting this because I think it’s important for people to not feel alone in their struggles. We’re humans, we’re allowed to have bad days, hard times & weak moments,” Tyler shared.
“Don’t be ashamed of what makes us humans special. You’re loved. You’re worthy.”
Tyler went on to say that he doesn’t expect all of his fans to understand his illness, but feels that if even one person is helped his efforts have been worthwhile:
“If I can at least connect with one person through this & let them know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. It will make being vulnerable worth it #KeepFighting #KeepTalkingMH,” he wrote on IG.
The hashtag refers to the social media effort to get young people talking about mental health in a therapeutic fashion.
As reality stars, Tyler and Catelynn will always face questions about whether they’ve truly earned their level of influence.
But no one can deny that they’re using their platform to try and make the world a better place.
Watch Teen Mom OG online for more from the fan favorite couple.
