She’s opening up. Model Olivia Culpo took to her Instagram to share two photos of herself on July 11 — one amid her struggle with depression and another after she started taking steps to address her health. The 27-year-old also included a lengthy caption where she opened up to fans and followers about the circumstances surrounding each period in her life.

“Looking at the difference between these two photos today, and thought it was important to share something with all of you. 2nd photo, a few months ago: I was depressed. I had no appetite, was drinking way too much, smoking, couldn’t sleep and couldn’t eat. But I was still taking photos on social media and pretending everything was great,” the Sports Illustrated model revealed. “I was going through a difficult situation that left me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt and it had taken its toll physically. The feeling of despair is a relatable one, so I feel a responsibility to anyone else going through something difficult to say that it’s OK to not be OK.”

She then addressed a more recent photo in her caption — one where the former Miss Universe looks much healthier.

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Looking at the difference between these two photos today, and thought it was important to share something with all of you. 2nd photo, a few months ago: I was depressed. I had no appetite, was drinking way too much, smoking, couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t eat. But I was still taking photos on social media and pretending everything was great. I was going through a difficult situation that left me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt and it had taken its toll physically. The feeling of despair is a relatable one, so I feel a responsibility to anyone else going through something difficult to say that it’s ok to not be ok. 1st photo is from the other day, and I am looking healthier. I have my appetite back and am treating my body correctly. We’re all too familiar with the “highlight REEL” of Instagram so I wanted to get REAL and tell you it’s not always as amazing as it seems. I’m sharing this because 1. I want to emphasize what we already know: Instagram is everyone’s best version of themselves and their lives. It can trick us into thinking everything is perfect in other’s worlds. Which is NOT true. We are all more alike than we think, navigating life with similar ups and downs; good times and bad. We never really know what someone is going through, so it’s unfair to judge/compare. 2. I hope this helps others who might be going through a hard time and feeling like they need to “have it all together.” Social media can create a crazy amount of pressure to live up to an idealistic standard of “perfection” (which obviously doesn’t exist!). Hard times happen and the most important part is putting one foot in front of the other, knowing the moment will pass, and being patient with yourself. No filter is going to take away from the normal ups and downs of life that we all have. Our imperfections/hardships make us all perfectly relatable, taking this journey through life together. I think the more we understand how connected that makes all of us, the easier and more rewarding this life journey can be. Love you guys!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by Olivia Culpo (@oliviaculpo) on

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“1st photo is from the other day, and I am looking healthier. I have my appetite back and am treating my body correctly. We’re all too familiar with the ‘highlight REEL’ of Instagram so I wanted to get REAL and tell you it’s not always as amazing as it seems,” she continued. “I’m sharing this because 1. I want to emphasize what we already know: Instagram is everyone’s best version of themselves and their lives. It can trick us into thinking everything is perfect in other’s worlds. Which is NOT true. We are all more alike than we think, navigating life with similar ups and downs, good times and bad. We never really know what someone is going through, so it’s unfair to judge/compare.”

She continued with a second reason for posting her side-by-side, “2. I hope this helps others who might be going through a hard time and feeling like they need to ‘have it all together.’ Social media can create a crazy amount of pressure to live up to an idealistic standard of ‘perfection’ (which obviously doesn’t exist!). Hard times happen and the most important part is putting one foot in front of the other, knowing the moment will pass, and being patient with yourself. No filter is going to take away from the normal ups and downs of life that we all have.”

We couldn’t be more proud of the Model Squad star for getting candid about her struggles with mental health. After all, she’s not the only one. “Our imperfections/hardships make us all perfectly relatable, taking this journey through life together,” she closed out her thoughtful caption. “I think the more we understand how connected that makes all of us, the easier and more rewarding this life journey can be. Love you guys!!!!!!!”