Willow Nightingale On Discussing Her Mental Health During AEW Redemption Countdown Show

Willow Nightingale spoke more in depth about her mental health after she talked about being depressed on the AEW Redemption Countdown show. As noted, Nightingale spoke on the countdown preview show over the weekend and noted, “I think I’ve been depressed for about a year, and I’ve just had to find a way to strap a smile on, put my twinkly boots on, and find a way to keep going.”

Nightingale clarified on the AEW Redemption post-show media scrum that she has not been diagnosed with depression and was just in a headspace where she was struggling. She also talked about why she opened up about it and more. You can see the highlights below:

On Opening Up About Being Depressed:

“So I will say that like, it wasn’t like a diagnosis. It was very much me just being in a place. And like, people have thoughts about self-diagnosis or whatever. I have people that I speak to; we have mental health help here. So that is one great thing about AEW, is that we do have a therapist who travels with us, and is there whenever anybody needs him. But I went in to record that stuff for Countdown that day, and I was going through it and I having a really hard time being Willow and thinking about wrestling. And like, if we really think about it, the past year has been so crazy in a ‘world’ sense? Like, who isn’t struggling right now?

“And so they were like, ‘What are your thoughts on this?’ And I was like, ‘Man, really? I don’t know. Why do I deserve to be a champion? Like, I don’t know. This is how I feel; this is what I’ve been going through. This is All Elite Wrestling; everybody is the best. We all deserve it. But I guess at the end of the day, this is how I’ve been feeling, and I’ve still been showing up. And when the opportunities are there, it doesn’t matter how I feel; I’ve been delivering.’ If the opportunities are there, and I’m winning and showing up? Then that shows you that I can do that when I need to.”

On Being Open About Such Things:

“But I do also think — speaking of mental health. It’s very important, especially being the happy and smiling girl, to be honest and say, ‘That’s unrealistic to have that 24/7.’ Nobody is that all the time.

“And I mean, I think it is good to strive for a little positivity. To try and allow ourselves some grace when things are tough and say, ‘We all mess up, we all don’t feel great, but what is something that can bring even an iota of joy?’ And like, wrestling is that for me, so much. And being able to do it, watch it, be around it, absorb it, live it. And that really is Willow.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit AEW with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.