Sam Frost’s personal heartache and problems with anxiety and depression have been on display for the world to see since his appearance on the second season of The Bachelor in 2014 and then on the first season of The Bachelorette in Australia in 2015.
Sam disclosed on Instagram in February that she had left her “dream job” on Home & Away, where she had played Jasmine Delaney for almost five years, to “look after [her] mental health” and “make up for lost time” in relationships she had grown distant from.
Sam’s decision to focus on mental health and wellbeing may appear to some as a new priority, or even a necessary pivot after being chastised for her previous stance on the COVID vaccine, but it’s a subject that’s been important to her since infancy, as she told Hope 103.2’s UNDISTRACTED podcast.
“When I was younger, especially during my teenage years, there were no dialogues about mental health,” Sam added.
“I grew up believing there was something wrong with my brain, something wrong with me.”
“I could tell I was different because I was always depressed, furious, and in a lot of pain.”
“I just assumed that I would have a messed-up existence.”
“What I was dealing with was anxiety and despair, which is actually fairly normal,” she explained.
Sam’s depression peaked during her time on Home & Away.
“I was working in my ideal career, doing something I was passionate about and that I loved, yet on weekends I would stay at home and cry in a dark place,” she explained.
“I realised I wasn’t living my life, and it was causing me to fall behind.”
“That’s when I decided to go to a wellness retreat at the beginning of last year,” she explained, “because I realised I couldn’t continue my life drowning in this despair.”
Sam has teamed up with her sister Kristine – a certified youth mentor – in her new memoir Believe to provide insights into what she’s learnt from her own life’s problems, including mental illness, physical concerns, and toxic relationships.
Believe, Sam Frost’s memoir, explores mental illness, body image, and toxic relationships.
“I don’t profess to have all the answers,” she said, “but I can share some of the obstacles I’ve faced.”
The book is an outgrowth of the sisters’ online Believe community, which was created in 2020 and encourages people to talk openly about mental health, include everyone, and appreciate imperfection.
Sam wants to convey with Believe participants that our difficult times can really be seasons where we can find deeper significance in life — a perspective she’s worked hard to cultivate personally.
“I tell myself, ‘There will be a beauty in all of this.’ “There will be a purpose, as well as opportunities for growth and lessons,” Sam explained.
“I tell myself, ‘There will be a beauty in all of this.’ There will be a purpose, as well as opportunities for learning and growth.” Frost, Sam
“When you think about it that way, it liberates you because you surrender to the experience and ask yourself, ‘What am I learning?'”
Sam’s “religious connection” has “a big impact” on her ability to deal with life’s upheaval.
“I have to have faith that this is what’s supposed to be happening, and that there’s someone greater watching out for me,” Sam explained.
“When I lose my faith and hope, when I lose my light, I revert to a victim mentality.”
