Kesha has long been candid about dealing with various mental health challenges — even when her struggles have gotten very intense.
“I went through this crazy psychedelic spiritual experience in the midst of the anxiety … it was pure anxiety,” the “Tik Tok” songstress, 36, told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe during a Wednesday, May 24, interview. “My brain felt, like, I thought maybe it was the process of having a psychotic break or something. But then once I just started leaning into it, I was like, ‘Well, it’s happening, so what am I going to do about it?’”
Kesha — who even penned her “Eat the Acid” single about the ordeal — recalled having a “full psychedelic” trip that made her start to embrace spirituality.
“I’m a triple Pisces, I love weird, unexplainable, spiritual, supernatural stuff,” the California native added. “So after this happened to me, I went down a total … rabbit hole [of] just the paranormal and also different spirituality, different things people believe in. I’m just trying to read about it because I feel like we’re all talking about a similar thing.”
Kesha previously revealed that she suffers from “a lot of things,” including anxiety and depression.
“I’ve battled a lot of things, including anxiety and depression. Finding the strength to come forward about those things is not easy,” Kesha recalled to Billboard in December 2016. “But maybe, by telling my story, I can help someone else going through tough times.”
Nearly one year later, the Gag Order artist opened up about how her challenges can be exacerbated during the holiday seasons and shared tips for others in similar positions.
“In so many ways, the holidays can throw you off your game — and that can shake you,” she wrote in a November 2017 essay for Time. “When you have a routine, it’s easier to manage whatever mental struggles you may be faced with, and when that routine is broken, it can trigger things you may not be ready to face. I know it has for me. It was during the holidays when I hit a low moment and with the help of my mother decided to seek help for my eating disorder.”
Us Weekly confirmed in January 2014 that Kesha had sought treatment for an eating disorder and would complete a 30-day inpatient program. Amid her recovery, the singer criticized the music industry’s “unrealistic expectations” about bodies.
“I started becoming overly critical of my own body because of that,” the “Praying” musician told Elle UK the following July. “I felt like people were always lurking, trying to take pictures of me with the intention of putting them up online or printing them in magazines and making me look terrible.”
She continued: “I felt like a liar, telling people to love themselves as they are, while I was being hateful to myself and really hurting my body. I wanted to control things that weren’t in my power, but I was controlling the wrong things. I convinced myself that being sick, being skinny was part of my job. It felt safer somehow.”
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If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders (NEDA) website or call their hotline at (800) 931-2237 to get help.
