Ariana Grande and Jim Carrey Connect Over This Relatable Part of Life With Depression

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to appear like everything’s OK when you’re struggling with depression, you might relate to Ariana Grande and Jim Carrey’s recent social media exchange.

On Saturday, Grande posted an image of Carrey with his quote about depression to her Instagram story. The quote reads:

Depression is your body saying, ‘I don’t want to be this character anymore. I don’t want to hold up this avatar that you’ve created in the world. It’s too much for me.’

You should think of the word ‘depressed’ as ‘deep rest.’ Your body needs to be depressed. It needs deep rest from the character you’ve been trying to play.

The Coachella headliner, who said her first AIM username was jimcarreyfan42, captioned the image “THE WHOLE LOML [love of my life] <3 forever.”

The next day (on Easter), Carrey responded to Grande’s Instagram story on Twitter with his own image quote from Jeff Foster, an author and spiritual teacher from England.

“I read your lovely mention of me and things I’ve said about depression. A brilliant teacher and friend, Jeff Foster was OG on the “Deep Rest” concept,” Carrey tweeted. “I admire your openness. I wish you freedom and peace. I feel blessed to have such a gifted admirer. Happy Easter!”

.@ArianaGrande I read your lovely mention of me and things I’ve said about depression. A brilliant teacher and friend, Jeff Foster was OG on the “Deep Rest” concept. I admire your openness. I wish you freedom and peace. I feel blessed to have such a gifted admirer. Happy Easter! pic.twitter.com/BiMa6KHYb6

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) April 22, 2019

When she saw his response, Grande tweeted, “i can’t process this or breathe hold on,” then shared a longer tweet thanking the actor for his kindness.

thank u so much for your kindness. i don’t think u understand how much i adore u or what u mean to me. thank u for taking the time to share this w me. you are such an inspiration. i can’t wait to tattoo this tweet to my forehead. sending you lots of love & all things happy.

thank u so much for your kindness. ???? i don’t think u understand how much i adore u or what u mean to me. thank u for taking the time to share this w me. you are such an inspiration. i can’t wait to tattoo this tweet to my forehead. sending you lots of love & all things happy. ???? https://t.co/bsCCdCx39D

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) April 22, 2019

If you’ve ever felt like you had to be a “character” to hide your depression, you’re not alone. This is something Mighty contributor Jennifer Lynn, who lives with anxiety and depression, wrote about in her piece, “Why I Dream About Taking Off the ‘Mask’ That Hides My Mental Illness.” Lynn said:

I have worn my mask for so long that it fits like a second skin and I often feel naked without it. I like what I look like with my mask on, it hides the parts of me that aren’t very pretty. I don’t go out in public without wearing it like a coat of armor for protection. It is not only physical in nature — it manifests itself in my behavior as well. My mask is one of happiness: smiles, energy and laughter.

Opening up about your mental illness takes courage and isn’t easy. Lynn elaborated that when she did take off her mask, she experienced a freedom and vulnerability she hadn’t previously.

“I took my mask completely off recently. It was scary to allow myself to trust completely and to be so vulnerable,” Lynn wrote. “But it was also liberating, beautiful and so very special to finally feel safe enough to do so.”

If you’re looking for a place to open up about depression, we encourage you to download the free Mighty app to connect 24/7 with a community of mental health warriors who “get it.”

For more stories about “hidden” depression and mental illness, check out the following stories. If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741741.

• We Cannot Continue to Overlook ‘High-Functioning’ Depression
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• 18 Signs You Grew Up With ‘Hidden’ Depression