Yolanda Hadid Shares Advice She Gives Her Kids About Managing Their Mental Health

Yolanda Hadid worries about her kids, like every mom does — but she has reason to be concerned.

Her three adult children — Gigi, 27, Bella, 26, and Anwar, 23 — are successful models who live in the public eye and under scrutiny on and off social media. And so, their mama bear wants to make sure their mental health is always in check.

"I think self-care is number one," the 58-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively while discussing her work with Project Healthy Minds, a new mental health tech nonprofit that aims to make it easier and faster for young people to find mental health resources. "I worry for them, and not only for my own children, I worry for all the next generation that is so under the spell of social media."

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The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star shares her three children with ex-husband and real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid, to whom she was married from 1994-2000.

The advice she has for her children when they're struggling with the pressure of being famous, of always being in the spotlight is simple — and it all starts with taking care of themselves from the inside out.

"Go for a walk," Hadid advises after celebrating World Mental Health Day during a fireside chat with Project Health Minds. "Exercise is super important. I think healthy eating habits are very important."

Hadid has been open about her own struggles with depression and anxiety. After her losing her mother Ans van den Herik at 78, Hadid was so depressed that she experienced a Lyme disease relapse.

According to the Global Lyme Alliance, the disease is a complex infection that can affect various systems in the body including the joints, nervous system and heart — so dealing with difficult emotions can exasperate symptoms.

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"I hadn't felt that kind of depression in 20 years or something, after I broke my back 20 years ago," the former model, who took a 9-month hiatus from social media over the summer, shares. "I really hadn't dealt with the extent that I felt now."

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And she's not the only one in her family who struggles with mental health issues.

"Bella speaks about it openly as well," Hadid, whose two younger children also suffer from Lyme disease. "I think it's just so important that we speak about mental health and open up the conversation and let the world know that we all suffer from it. You know, whether it's temporary, that, it's genetically in your family. The conversation should be without any shame or fear around it."

Getty (L-R) Anwar Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Yolanda Hadid, Bella Hadid

Now grandma to Gigi's daughter Khai, 2, Hadid is happier and healthier than ever thanks to moving out of California to a secluded farm in Pennsylvania and finding love with her boyfriend, Joseph Jingoli.

"[It's] a very different life," Hadid shares with a laugh. "I just needed to get away. I could not get well."