{"id":105547,"date":"2018-04-03T13:36:38","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T17:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=105547"},"modified":"2018-04-03T13:36:38","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T17:36:38","slug":"misha-hart-battled-depression-and-came-out-at-the-top-of-her-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/misha-hart-battled-depression-and-came-out-at-the-top-of-her-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Misha Hart battled depression and came out at the top of her game"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n#wp-content hr {margin: 80px auto 40px auto;width: 10%;border: solid #000;border-width: 4px 0 0;}\nh4 {text-align:center;}\n.separ {clear:both;padding:40px;}\n.centerimg {padding:4em 8em;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg img {margin-bottom:0px;}\n.instagram-media {margin:auto !important;}\n.txtbox {width:80%;margin:auto;}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2018\/04\/20171201_151118308_M.jpg\"  data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2018\/04\/20171201_151118308_M.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2109\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-105882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2018\/04\/20171201_151118308_M.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2018\/04\/20171201_151118308_M-455x640.jpg 455w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2018\/04\/20171201_151118308_M-910x1280.jpg 910w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2018\/04\/20171201_151118308_M-900x1265.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<small>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/nickscaife.com\/\">Nick Scaife<\/a> courtesy of <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/VIVA-London\">Viva London<\/a><\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/berlins-newest-h\u2026round-ottolinger\/\">Ottolinger editorial<\/a> was the perfect opportunity to re-meet its star, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/misha-hart\">Misha Hart<\/a>, who has been sought out for her full-lipped, anti-girl-next-door appearance ever since a Burberry runway debut in 2014. In recent times, the Glaswegian model\u2019s experience has been underscored by her longtime struggle with depression; culminating in an attempt to take her own life in 2017. Since surviving her illness and breaking from model-things, the fetching Misha Hart is back and has redefined herself. Redefinition is an act familiar to models who know their careers go through many lives, adaptation is just part of the job\u2013but maybe not like Misha knows it. &#8220;If you are currently struggling with your mental health (as so many of us are) and have found yourself in what feels like a relentlessly hopeless place with no release, no future, no light, I want to share something with you\u2013It will not last forever,&#8221; she declared in a lengthy Instagram last year. This year, her appearance on Christopher Bailey\u2019s global stage for his final <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/burberry-burberry-ss-18-show\">Burberry show<\/a> with her buzzed head was a fitting full-circle act as she enters a new period of her life (the Ripley hair transformation was no surprise if you had been following her Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mishahartbreak\/\">@Mishahartbreak<\/a>). Opening up about these issues, she has taken to being vocal about mental health and the stigmas that surround them. With more mettle than ever you can be certain there&#8217;s lots of Misha Hart to come.  <\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<blockquote><p>At that point in my life I had become paralyzed by my illness. I don&#8217;t use that word lightly;\u00a0that is truly what it feels like to be so overwhelmed by thoughts and worries that you are glued to the spot.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019re back modeling\u2013how does it feel? Plus you\u2019ve got a lovely buzzed head\u2026<\/strong><br \/>\nYes, I am! It feels different, and not just because I shaved my hair off. I feel like I\u2019m coming at it from a whole new perspective. I\u2019m determined to be present and really experience everything I end up doing. I\u2019m really enjoying myself.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>What are a few of the most significant chapters of your life, of your career, before you took that brief break from modeling?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe period between leaving school at 16 and starting modeling at 19 was probably the most fun I\u2019ve ever had. I just remember there being a feeling of complete freedom. I spent all my time with my friends, making and listening to music, going to gigs, allowing ourselves to feel inspired and alive and uninhibited. We\u00a0didn\u2019t DO anything of any significance, we were just messing around, and yet I feel like those experiences have very\u00a0significantly shaped me as a person. I then went on to spend the next 4 years traveling and modeling, visiting mind-blowingly beautiful cities on my own and learning to appreciate life without always having a group of people by my side, which was an equally significant learning curve.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>What is home life like for you in Glasgow, then (being younger) and now?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nHonestly, my home\u00a0life\u2019s\u00a0one thing that has always remained constant. I have family and friends who I\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0love more. And as for Glasgow, it never changes, there\u2019s always creativity and music and hilarious, open hearted people and so much fun to be had.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>You revealed you have long suffered from depression and anxiety, how has this illness effected and burdened\u00a0navigating your career, your day-to-day?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI feel as if I\u00a0missed out on a lot of beautiful experiences because I was so inside my own head, too busy thinking to be taking in and appreciating my surroundings.\u00a0For\u00a0a long time during my career it felt as if I was there physically, but I wasn\u2019t really experiencing what was going on around me at all. I wasn\u2019t present. And\u00a0unfortunately\u00a0that\u2019s what these\u00a0illnesses\u00a0do to you. You could be in the most beautiful, vibrant city in the world and not feel able to look\u00a0around and absorb it because you\u2019re too busy worrying about a million\u00a0irrelevant things, and then feeling guilty for not feeling happy! Luckily I\u2019m getting a lot better at\u00a0being\u00a0present these days, although it\u2019s still something I have to constantly work at, but I can honestly say I\u2019m appreciating every opportunity that comes my way.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>When it was at its worst, last year, you shared you tried to take your own life\u2026what allowed you to overcome this event?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nHonestly, I am so incredibly lucky. At that point in my life I had become paralyzed by my illness. I don&#8217;t use that word lightly;\u00a0that is truly what it feels like to be so overwhelmed by thoughts and worries that you are glued to the spot. I\u2019m lucky because I was in a position where I was able to completely drop everything, and be cared for by my relentlessly loving family while I re-built myself. But not everyone has that option. I met many people when I was in treatment who had a\u00a0one or two week deadline looming over their heads. They knew they had to be well enough to work by that point or they would no longer have a job. This is why it is so unbelievably important to get to a place in society where we view mental illness the same way that we view any other serious, life threatening illness. You\u00a0wouldn\u2019t stop half way through an operation and insist the patient gets back to work with an open wound. It\u2019s no different!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>How and when did you decide to take ownership of your affliction, deciding to be candid about it?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was when I realized all of a sudden that for the longest time I had\u00a0been telling really small lies almost every day to mask the extent of how ill I was. I wasn\u2019t even aware I was doing it, for example telling a friend I was missing their birthday because I was working or had a throat infection, or being\u00a0really\u00a0vague about why I\u00a0needed to spend yet another month off work, giving a\u00a0brief description of\u00a0minor anxiety issues. It was totally draining. Friends and\u00a0colleagues knew that I\u2019d been in hospital although they didn&#8217;t know why, so once I began to re-build my strength, I knew I had to decide: Was I going to fabricate a cover up story? Give my usual vague\u00a0explanation of\u00a0\u201cI suffer from anxiety\u201d? Or do I finally stop hiding and lay it all out there? I wasn\u2019t willing to treat my illness as a dirty little secret anymore, and it was the best decision I ever made.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BdKfNnnFJlm\/\" data-instgrm-version=\"8\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:8px;\">\n<div style=\" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.40740740740741% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;\">\n<div style=\" background:url(data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC\/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5\/P8\/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo\/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI\/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf\/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BdKfNnnFJlm\/\" style=\" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;\" target=\"_blank\">This holiday season feels like it has come out of nowhere. Because honestly, at the start of the year I didn\u2019t think I would see 2018. And for the latter part I didn\u2019t (and couldn\u2019t) imagine anything beyond immediate future. So it\u2019s safe to say this looming New Year has caught me off guard! I genuinely managed to forget there WAS a future, that 2018 would come, regardless of what I do. If you are currently struggling with your mental health (as so many of us are) and have found yourself in what feels like a relentlessly hopeless place with no release, no future, no light, I want to share something with you &#8211; IT WILL NOT LAST FOREVER. I\u2019m not asking you to see beyond the darkness, for when you\u2019re in a place with no light it\u2019s useless to demand perspective, reflection or a \u201cbigger picture\u201d (because it\u2019s fucking dark in there, you can\u2019t SEE anything!!!!) Trust me, I know the frustration. But, what I will ask you to do is acknowledge a fact &#8211; it will not last forever. That would be literally impossible, because nothing in life, good or bad, light or dark, no state of mind, feeling or emotion can remain constant, forever. Fact. I know it sounds strange and daunting, but if you are engulfed in darkness or sadness or hopelessness or guilt, no matter how overpowering these feelings are, just KNOW that everything in life is ever changing and you and your state of mind are no exception. I have managed to find great comfort in acknowledging the temporary nature of our lives, of humans, of the planet. I promise you that one day an emotion you thought was long forgotten will creep in, maybe it\u2019s a laugh or a little ounce of confidence. Maybe it\u2019s a feeling of camaraderie with a friend or a half-hour without feeling anxious while out for dinner. I promise you that the darkness that feels so unbreakable right now, will in fact break and these little joys will creep in. They will start off few and far between, and slowly but surely begin to take over until you realise you are experiencing more good hours than bad, then eventually more days feeling free than ones you feel restricted. \u201cThis too shall pass\u201d &#8211; not an opinion, a fact. Xxxxxx<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">A post shared by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mishahartbreak\/\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;\" target=\"_blank\"> MISHA HART<\/a> (@mishahartbreak) on <time style=\" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;\" datetime=\"2017-12-26T11:31:49+00:00\">Dec 26, 2017 at 3:31am PST<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async defer src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Was doing this important in your decision to begin modeling again?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nSomething quite beautiful that I&#8217;ve noticed since I started talking openly and unashamedly about my experiences with mental health is that honesty is contagious. As is openness and compassion. It can be\u00a0terrifying\u00a0to break through the\u00a0barrier\u00a0of wrongly-enforced\u00a0shame\u00a0and talk about something which still carries so much stigma, but once you do, it makes others feel comfortable to do so too. In my experience, people respond to openness with openness, and it has allowed me to feel closer to the people in my life than ever before. I couldn\u2019t have continued modeling if I\u2019d let this cycle of\u00a0embarrassment\u00a0and secrecy that I\u2019d created continue to thrive. Deciding to be transparent about my mental health has impacted hugely on my personal and working relationships, and my relationship with myself. I feel so much more free.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I wasn\u2019t willing to treat my illness as a dirty little secret anymore, and it was the best decision I ever made.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Does social media influence this?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nSocial media is such a double edged sword. We all know that social media can make us feel really awful about ourselves, giving us a\u00a0constant\u00a0stream of peoples successes and enabling us to compare\u00a0ourselves and our lives\u00a0to others. However, it has also been such an important instrument in really vital discussions such as mental health awareness. As a teenager suffering from undiagnosed depression and anxiety, I hadn\u2019t even heard of the\u00a0term\u00a0\u201cmental health\u201d\u00a0and had no clue what a\u00a0\u201cmental illness\u201d\u00a0was or that it could apply to me. But you talk to teenagers now and\u00a0there knowledge and awareness is\u00a0incredible!<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>Do you feel pressured to conform to a certain model identity<\/strong><br \/>\nI used to. I used to walk into castings wearing clothes I thought\u00a0a model should wear, acting and speaking in the way I\u00a0thought\u00a0was expected of me. But it\u2019s easy to see when a person is being\u00a0genuine and when they\u2019re not.\u00a0Putting on an act is draining, and it\u2019s so much more exciting and\u00a0inspiring\u00a0and admirable to just do you.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>What guidance can you provide having gone through all of this?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nMy best piece of advise is to ditch that automatic response we are all guilty of:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m fine, how are you?\u201d\u00a0and replace it with\u00a0something more honest. In my experience, this has never been met with\u00a0\u201cstop being so miserable\u201d like my anxious brain (and society) told me it would, but instead it has made those around me feel more comfortable to talk honestly about their own feelings and finally drop the bullshit social norms we are so used to. It\u2019s refreshing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BfWHtAtFiUH\/\" data-instgrm-version=\"8\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:8px;\">\n<div style=\" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;\">\n<div style=\" background:url(data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC\/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5\/P8\/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo\/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI\/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf\/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BfWHtAtFiUH\/\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by MISHA HART (@mishahartbreak)<\/a> on <time style=\" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;\" datetime=\"2018-02-18T17:00:04+00:00\">Feb 18, 2018 at 9:00am PST<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async defer src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>How has your perspective of the industry changed since you were discovered? Beyond perspective, have you noticed any actual changes in the industry that effected you?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI really didn&#8217;t have too much of an\u00a0insight\u00a0into the industry before I was in it, I very much learned on the job. I do feel like a lot has changed in recent years though. When I started out I\u00a0didn\u2019t have to write down my Instagram tag and number of\u00a0followers on entering castings\u2026 I find it pretty\u00a0disconcerting knowing the girl next to me is more likely to book a show because she has half a million followers and I&#8230; don\u2019t. But on the other hand, it\u2019s because of social media that both designers and fashion enthusiasts seem to care so much more about a models personality and what they have to say. Being a blank canvas is no longer desirable, and thats pretty cool.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The reason I\u2019ve decided to continue modeling is to prove that there\u2019s more to life than that messed up, tragic rockstar image that\u2019s deemed as\u00a0\u201ccool\u201d. Why cant happiness be cool? Or honesty or vulnerability?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>In a wide scope, how has your sense of self evolved over the course of time?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m trying, not always successfully, to just let myself be. I\u2019m no longer trying to impress anyone or make people like me, and people tend to like me better for it. I like me better for it.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>Why do you model?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nThere was never a motive as to why I started\u00a0modeling, but having achieved a lot at a young age (for a wee girl from Glasgow that is) I learned quickly that being\u00a0\u201csuccessful\u201d on its own isn\u2019t enough to make a person happy and fulfilled. The reason I\u2019ve decided to continue modeling is to prove that there\u2019s more to life than that messed up, tragic rockstar image that\u2019s deemed as\u00a0\u201ccool\u201d. Why cant happiness be cool? Or honesty or vulnerability? Growing up, the only people I had to look up to were either\u00a0unrealistically\u00a0squeaky clean, or glamorized a certain self-destructiveness. I want to prove that you can be real, be kind to yourself and to others and still be fucking cool.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>What inspires you now?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nChange, and\u00a0people\u00a0who pioneer change.\n<\/div>\n<p><!--pp-thumb-start--><!--PictPress found no dir \/2018\/04\/105547--><!--pp-thumb-end--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Models.com chats with the star of our Ottolinger cover editorial <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":443,"featured_media":105856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10414,2],"tags":[11389,2785],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105547"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/443"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105547"}],"version-history":[{"count":79,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105899,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105547\/revisions\/105899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}