Bryce Dallas Howard says battling depression has been 'biggest challenge to my identity'

By Angeline Jane Bernabe

Bryce Dallas Howard is opening up about her mental health journey.

In an Instagram post shared on World Mental Health Day, the "Jurassic World" actress talked about her battle with depression and how she has navigated it over the years. One moment in particular that she mentions was when she was battling postpartum depression.

"It was the last day on my first job as a new mother. I was still in the throes of postpartum depression, and I was in a car, alone, heading straight into the exquisite sunset we'd anxiously awaited all day," she said. "It was an existential moment, and since no one could hear me, I asked the question aloud: What is the purpose of ALL OF THIS?! Those words are the response I received: to move with grace, and that struggle will guide you toward the sunset."

"We are here FOR the obstacles, not to avoid them," she added.

Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images

Bryce Dallas Howard attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Universal Pictures "Jurassic World Dominion," June 6, 2022, in Hollywood, Calif.

Howard went on to say that battling depression "has been the biggest part of my identity." While the actress can be described by others as "energetic, enthusiastic, passionate," she has also struggled with negative thoughts. But she has learned that those feelings and emotions are "integral to the human experience."

"It's taken quite a bit, but what I've learned since is that my form of 'optimism' means having the grace to navigate both internal and external obstacles," Howard wrote. "Those challenges ARE the journey, the purpose, not an annoyance we can gaslight with militant optimism and denial."

"This is where I've landed today on my journey, and tomorrow may be different, but I share these musings on #WorldMentalHealthDay in case they can offer any hope or simply a 'same, same!'" she added.

Howard has been open about her experience with postpartum depression in the past.

In an essay for Goop, the actress wrote about the emptiness of postpartum depression and recalled a moment during an interview that happened when she felt like she couldn't talk about her experience openly.

"I cringed when I watched my interview on television because of my inability to share authentically what I was going through," she wrote. "I fear more often than not, for this reason alone, we choose silence. And the danger of being silent means only that others will suffer in silence and may never feel whole because of it."

"To deny the experience is to deny who I am," she added, saying that those who are going through the same experience shouldn't be afraid to ask for help.