Willow Nightingale Further Opens Up Regarding Mental Health Struggles

During the AEW Redemption Countdown Show, Willow Nightingale noted that she’s been battling depression for the past year.

At the Redemption press conference, Willow gave further insight into her mental health struggles and how she deals with things.

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

“They were like, ‘What are your thoughts on this?’ ‘Man, really, I don’t know. Why do I deserve to be a champion? 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. At the end of the day, this is how I’ve been feeling, and I’ve still been showing up. When the opportunities are there, it doesn’t matter how I feel; I’ve been delivering.’ 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. 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?’ Wrestling is that for me. Being able to do it, watch it, absorb it, live it. That really is Willow.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, please check out these resources.

Nightingale won the AEW Women’s Title at Redemption, defeating Thekla.

Fans can find Fightful’s coverage of AEW Redemption by clicking here. Check out the post-show podcast for a full review here.

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