Shay Mitchell opens up on miscarriage and calls for more compassion

Actor Shay Mitchell kicked off the New Year with opening up about the highs and lows from her last year.

The 31-year-old actor reflected back on her many positive memories from 2018 including some beautiful trips, quality time with friends and more. But at the same time, the actor penned an emotional note admitting that the past year also came with some hardships, revealing for the first time that she suffered a miscarriage.

Sharing a photo of an ultrasound with a broken heart emoji, the actor then posted a lengthy message in the next slide about how social media can be misleading as to what people are really going through.

"We all have to deal with various struggles and challenges in life. And sometimes it's easier to only showcase the good times on social media, which is what leads many people to criticize it for its lack of authenticity," she wrote.

"Having so many people follow me on Instagram and read my posts is both incredibly humbling and hugely uplifting. The support and affection that so many of you show me lifts me up during even my darkest days, one of which happened last year after I miscarried and lost the child of my hopes and dreams," Mitchell added.

"In the spirit of the new year, I think that we need to remember that we are all on this journey together - in good times and bad - and to remind ourselves that we seldom really know or understand the struggles and hardships that other people are going through. So, for 2019, let's all try to be a little more compassionate, empathetic, patient and thoughtful with each other," Mitchell continued.

And even with all the ups and downs of 2018, the 'Pretty Little Liars' actor expressed positivity on Twitter with a message that read, "Here we go 2019, I am so, so ready for you."

On the work front, Mitchell was last seen in a 2018 horror film 'The Possession of Hannah Grace' and Netflix psychological-thriller show 'YOU'.