‘Bachelor In Paradise’ Alum Krystal Nielson Just Got Real About A Certain Kind Of Anxiety

Instead of viewing tax season as a monotonous chore, Bachelor Season 22 cast member Krystal Nielson used it as a time of reflection. Bachelor in Paradise alum Krystal Nielson opened up about anxiety, depression, and financial struggles from the past year. Going through her purchases from 2018, led to some major revelations from the reality TV star. She has come out of the other side and seems to be in a great place personally and professionally these days, but that was not an easy journey — not easy at all.

On April 10, Krystal posted a series of screenshots explaining some of the obstacles that she went through both on and off of reality television in 2018. The fitness coach admitted to her Instagram followers that "2018 was the year of breakdowns and rebuilds."

The Season 5 Bachelor in Paradise cast member went on to describe 2018 as "A year of extreme lows and highs. The year that my name would be synonymous with villain." Of course, she is referencing her highly controversial stint on Arie Luyendyk's season of The Bachelor, where she was dubbed the "villain" in the cast on the show and on social media. Thankfully, she had a much better time (and edit) on Bachelor in Paradise in 2018 a few months later. Plus, Krystal got engaged to Chris Randone at the end of the season. Her reality TV journey really did have a happily ever after ending after all.

As great as 2018 ended for Krystal, it actually had a very rough start. She described 2018 as the "year that $12,000 in hospital bills would drop by 750 credit score to 620. The year that my little brother came to live with me in 300 square feet after being on the streets." Krystal discussed her brother's homelessness on her first one-on-one date with Arie on The Bachelor.

Krystal opened up about her financial difficulties in the Instagram post. She wrote,

"When I came across the hospital bills I had a flashback to the phone calls from my friend Heather about how I needed to confront these heavy bills rather than pretending they didn't exist. It wasn't just the fact that I had no money to pay them, I had to confront the emotional trauma that my body, soul, and heart had endured."

Krystal continued to recount the low points of last year: "The heavy slap of defeat. The months of anxiety and depression. The confrontation that I had failed and fallen and didn't know what pieces could even be put back together."

This post wasn't the first time that Krystal opened up about her anxiety. In December 2018, Krystal shared her experiences with her Instagram followers. She shot down all of the haters and rebuffed the misconceptions about her.

Following her revelations, Krystal concluded, "I watched the fall and rise. The come up. The dark nights and heavy storms my heart endured. Looking back I now see that those thunderstorms are the reasons my dreams blossomed."

Even though there were many difficulties for Krystal in 2018, there were some great things to come out of the year. During the Women Tell All episode of Arie's Bachelor season, Krystal revealed that her brother watched show and realized how much their family cares about him.

During the episode, Krystal remarked, "It was all worth it because my family is closer together."

Aside from making strides in her personal life, Krystal is really thriving in her professional life. The fitness enthusiast now has her own business which includes sharing her meal plans and workouts with clients.

In her April Instagram post, Krystal said, her "dreams blossomed" following some very difficult struggles. She is in touch with her brother, she is engaged to Chris, she has a successful career, and she revamped her image after getting that "villain" edit. Most importantly, she has found the strength to share her dark times with the world, which may help others who have endured similar circumstances.