Zelda Williams on sadness & hope one year after father's passing

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Just over a year since the shocking death of Robin Williams, the actor's daughter, Zelda Williams, is opening up about how she's continuing to cope.

Posting to Instagram over the weekend, the 26-year-old shared a photo of the moon rising over a beautiful lake and wrote:

"Moonrise on the lake. I spent this night shivering and laughing under a clear, cold sky full of stars with people I love just to witness something beautiful. We mooned the moon and laughed ourselves hoarse, and I'm so incredibly grateful for every silly second.

I came to a realization this year that I feel compelled to share here, for whomsoever may need it: Avoiding fear, sadness or anger is not the same thing as being happy. I live my sadness every day, but I don't resent it anymore. Instead, I do it now so that the wonderful moments of joy I do find are not in order to forget, but to inhabit and enjoy for their own sake. It's not easy. In fact, I'd say it takes much more effort to consciously do than it does to just stay sad, but with all my heart, I cannot tell you how worth it it is.

And for those suffering from depression, I know how dark and endless that tunnel can feel, but if happiness seems impossible to find, please hold on to the possibility of hope, faint though it may be. Because I promise you, there're enough nights under the same yellow moon for all of us to share, no matter how or when you find your way there."

While Robin Williams was undoubtedly proud of his only daughter, I imagine he'd be especially pleased to see the work she's been doing lately.

Last October Zelda Williams took to Twitter to talk about and fight stigma surrounding mental illness. A look at a few of her tweets on the subject:

So please, let's help stop the misconceptions & support those who need our help. Healing the whole starts with healing minds.

— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) October 10, 2014

No matter what the misinformed say, you can't simply CHOOSE to make mental illness go away. It is NOT cowardly to suffer or seek help.

— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) October 10, 2014

Lastly, my dad openly fought depression his whole life, both in general and his own. No matter what anyone says, it is a FIGHT. Fight on.

— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) October 10, 2014

You can count my family among the many who've dealt with depression already, and I fear we haven't seen the last of it. There's something suffocating about the idea my children will someday lose sight of the all the light in life, and I hope fervently the work being done to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness and seeking help will have made great strides before they're struggling.

That'll only happen, of course, if we keep talking about it and work to create the change. Kudos to Zelda for honoring her father in this way.

Has depression affected someone in your life? You're invited to share with us if you'd like by leaving a comment below.

Photos: PR Photos

 

A look at other stars whose lives have been impacted by suicide: