Evangeline Lilly: I often feel alone, unseen

The 40-year-old recently shared two pictures of herself taken by her four-year-old son when she was in a "dark place" a year ago, reports usatoday.com.

"I had such a rough year last year but I didn't want to share all of it with you because I didn't want to be a dark cloud in your world," she wrote on Instagram.

"But I struggle deeply with feeling that all I ever am is what I feel everyone else wants and needs me to be. I often feel alone and unseen," she added.

Lilly said she unsuccessfully attempted to internalise all her "pain" because she believed she was strong enough to handle it.

"Publicly, I hid and made light of my deepest traumas and laughed in the face of my most profound pain," she wrote.

"Until, last year, I broke. Suddenly I was forced to face my weakness and my limitations, my trauma and fears. I was left with no choice but to accept that I am limited or… carry on down a road of perfectionist denial that would inevitably kill me."

Lilly revealed she is "coming out of that deep place, slowly", but she still struggles with meaningful connection through her "darkness".

In one photo, Lilly is seen sitting on the floor in a black tank top in shorts as she rests her hand on her forehead. In the next photo, it looks like she is feeling low.