GMA star GINGER Zee has spoken out about her journey with depression, the stigma surrounding mental health and has shared the wisdom that she has learned along the way.
Ginger is the Chief Meteorologist and managing editor of the climate unit at ABC News.
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She also has struggled with Anorexia, and depression, and has attempted suicide twice, according to an interview she did with GMA in January.
Ginger told People magazine in a 2020 interview, “I was a master at hiding my mental health issues. Especially from myself.”
But in recent years, she has opened up more about her struggles. She has shared her current mental health status with GMA’s Tony Morrison on his debt episode of Truth Be Told.
Tony started off by asking Ginger, “What is your secret sauce for keeping your head above water?” She replied, “Knowing that you really don’t have to.”
She went on to use a great analogy. “I’m so over the pursuit of happiness. I’m ready to rewrite it all and say it’s the pursuit of peace,”
“Happiness is temporary. Why did we ever want to pursue something that temporary? Why don’t you pursue something that you can actually sustain,” Ginger asked?
Tony brought up Ginger’s upcoming second book titled “A Little Closer to Home: How I Found the Calm After the Storm.” When talking about her first book “Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I am One.”,” Ginger explained,
“I never thought that I would be someone who would be talking to other people about my story because I am an Executive level people pleaser,”
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“My whole life has been about showcasing my perfection … and that was a big part of my problem, is that I had the inability to show vulnerability.”
Ginger also pointed to the fact that not all disasters are created equally. She explained that when a natural disaster happens, people are quick to deal with the damage it created and come together as a community.
Ginger then pointed out that we don’t do that for other “disasters” like our mental health struggles.
“Honesty and me communicating my feelings, it’s only made things better even if it’s hard right at first,” Ginger reassured her fans.
Tony then asked, “What are the tools that are in your toolbox today, that you didn’t have before that are helping you with those bad days when they come?”
Ginger replied, “The ability to say not every day is sunshine and rainbows,
“I think people are more ready and societally we are ready a little bit more for the truth and for being transparent with each other.”
She also reminded people to be honest and check in with themselves. “Very rarely is someone going to genuinely ask you how you are doing,” Ginger said.
Ginger talked about stopping the stigma surrounding mental health:
“If you had access to a personal trainer, most people would be like sign me up … but I think that if we can flip it and now what I’ve done is put all my time, energy and money and I never skip on my personal trainer of my brain and that’s my therapist.”
To end the interview, Tony asked Ginger, “Who and what is Ginger Zee that we see right now?”
“I think I am peaceful, but I think in that peace I’m constantly questioning, ‘did I lose too much of my, kinda when you fit that fake it before you make it,’ Ginger confessed.
“I do think there’s some power in that whole like put out there what you want … and I am still probably too optimistic, too dreamy in many ways, so I don’t think I’ve lost that much of it.”
As Ginger said in People, “If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, take it seriously.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.
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