Kate Beckinsale is getting candid about how difficult navigating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the actress, 53, shared a video discussing PTSD and how it isn’t fully understood or studied, especially among women. The post came just after the 53-year-old shared a slew of Instagram Stories about her late mother, Judy Loe, and her struggles with grief.

“There are men and women and children who have seen such absolute horror or experienced such absolute horror that their nervous system is permanently altered as a result. And a lot of those people become incredibly good at masking it,” she said. “And it’s sad because they become so good that they get no grace whatsoever.”

She added, “They get up, they go to work, they look after their kids, they provide for their family, they have a laugh, they’re the fun person, but they don’t sleep for more than an hour because when they do, it’s full of nightmares. Anything — smells, sounds, thoughts, feelings — can trigger them into a place that is actually like hell.”

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Beckinsale then encouraged others to be kinder because you don’t know what people are going through. “Given the fact that it’s invisible and you can’t know, maybe err on the side of being gentler with people, being kinder,” she said. “It really is true that when you haven’t walked a mile in someone’s shoes — however fancy you think the shoes are — you have absolutely no idea what they might be carrying, masking, dealing with day and night.”

“Someone with PTSD is on their own with it, by definition … so those are the loneliest people,” she added. “They’re alone with a level of horror that’s incompatible with life and yet, a lot of times those people continue to try and put one foot in front of the other.”

In a second video, the Serendipity star pointed out that Aug. 30 was National Grief Awareness Day and some people who have PTSD have “seen the worst of mortality and tried to keep going.”

“Maybe don’t always tell a person how strong they are,” she said. “Maybe that person is just crushed under the weight of having been strong for years … and their strength has been misinterpreted as not needing gentleness.”

She continued, by noting, “There are people who are silently caregiving, watching their loved ones deteriorate in horrifying and frightening ways that they’re not medically qualified to deal with. And they do it on their own. And it can break them, especially when everyone else relies on the trope of saying, ‘Wow you’re so strong.’ The person needs, ‘I’ll be here if you need to fall apart.’ ”

“But most people aren’t capable of providing that safety. So, try to become a person who can provide that safety. You could be the difference for someone,” the actress concluded.

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In the comments section, Beckinsale later replied to followers who said they could relate and told them that “you’re not alone.”

Beckinsale has been transparent with fans about how she’s been “suffering” lately following the loss of Loe, who died in July 2025 after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. At the time, the actress said her mother “died in my arms” and she’s been having a tough time coping with the “shock and trauma.”

Kate Beckinsale with her late mother, Judy Loe, via Instagram.Kate Beckinsale/Instagram
In December 2025, she posted an emotional video on Instagram reflecting on the experience. “2025 was a really really hard year. It was also the last year that my incredible mum was on this planet. So I feel really torn about letting go of it as well,” she said.

Beckinsale admitted that dealing with grief has caused her not to eat as much, resulting in her recent weight loss. “I watched my 31-year-old father die of a huge heart attack, and then I watched my stepfather die and I watched my mother degenerate and die,” she said, starting to cry. “Such an incredible amount of suffering and what I will say, it doesn’t make you feel very hungry.”

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“It’s not like anorexia where you’re starving and it’s a kind of willpower thing. It’s like your body has closed down. I think it’s shock and trauma,” Beckinsale explained. “I think watching, especially alone, the people that you love the most dearly suffer and have horrific and sometimes violent and awful deaths, really makes you not hungry.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988,