BY: Walker
Published 4 years ago
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex marked WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY with a special podcast appearance to help teenagers battling anxiety and other issues.
The couple, known for its work in the field, recorded the chat for Teenager Therapy, an audio series hosted by five California high school students, who aim to help their fellow teens improve their mental, physical, emotional, and holistic health.
via Page Six:
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, opened up about being “the most trolled person” on the planet — and how all the nastiness has affected her mental health — in a podcast Saturday hosted by five California teens.
Markle and husband Prince Harry, who also is the Duke of Sussex, made a guest appearance on “Teenager Therapy” to commemorate World Mental Health Day. They offered to make the appearance after reading about the podcast in the New York Times.
“I’m told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world — male or female,” she told the high-school students. “Now for eight months of that, I wasn’t even visible. I was on maternity leave or with the baby, but what was able to be just manufactured and churned out, it’s almost unsurvivable. …I don’t care if you are 15 or 25, if people are saying things about you that aren’t true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is damaging.”
When asked how he copes with being in the spotlight, Harry said he chooses not to read anything that is written about him and Markle and that he meditates.
“Meditation is key,” he said. “I never thought that I would be the person to do that.”
He stressed men should open up about their feelings and shouldn’t be afraid to be vulnerable — especially now when the challenges posed by the coronavirus are affecting everyone’s mental health.
“As I said, the sign of strength is talking about it,” he said, adding that he and Markle have “good days and bad days” when it comes to dealing with some of the negative publicity they have faced since leaving the royal family. “Every single one of us has stuff going on.”
For her part, Markle said “journaling” helps her cope with negative publicity and with being a new mother. Harry said she was still breastfeeding Archie, who is 19 months old.
“Journaling is a very powerful thing,” she said. “It allows me to reflect on where I’ve come from.”
Markle encouraged teens to speak out about their problems: “The more you internalize it the more challenges all of us face. Suddenly when you have some perspective, when you have people to check you, it’s really valuable.”
We stan our Black princess. A Conversation with with Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is available now.