Becky G opened up about her battle with anxiety — and what she has done to overcome it.
“It was very easy for me to let other people make decisions for me and then when it wouldn’t work, I [would be like], ‘I should’ve said something.’ I spent some key pivotal moments in my career feeling like I was being far more reactive to what was happening than proactive,” the singer, 26, explained on a Monday, September 18, episode of the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast. “I didn’t know [panic attacks] was my body’s way of physically telling me ‘Something’s wrong. You’re not okay but because you’re scared to let other people down, you push through anyways.’
She shared that there were many moments before going on stage where she would end up in “full blown tears” and feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath.
“There’s also this subconscious part of you that’s like, ‘Girl, breathe.’ Just being really young and in high stress situations … it’s just such an interesting dynamic to have grown up in,” she admitted.
Becky G then went on to explain her experience in therapy and how she has learned to deal with her panic attacks.
“The body keeps score of all of what you go through. If you don’t allow your body to feel [everything] somatically … That was the manifestation of the panic attacks and things like that,” she said. “Anxiety and depression are not the diagnosis, they’re the result of [something].”
This isn’t the first time the “Shower” singer has been open about how her career has affected her mental health. In May 2019, Becky G shared how great of an impact touring had on her physically and mentally.
“The results of [touring] have been low blood circulation, muscle cramps, dehydration, anxiety and uncomfortable inflammation in certain areas of my body,” she wrote via her Instagram Story at the time. “I found my mental headspace becoming harder and harder to control with a schedule that is inconsistent with a healthy sleep schedule and time to decompress. “I really need to get my s—t together and for the first time, I’m actually taking a healthy lifestyle on the road seriously.”
Two months later, Becky G said that opening up about her anxiety and depression has made her feel more “comfortable talking about” it.
“I feel those things are very real for me. I never realized how much of a real thing it was, because I thought I was just expected to go through these emotions and do the things,” she told IANS in a July 2019 interview. “Talking about it has helped my journey. Knowing that there is help out there, that people are with you [helped me cope with it]. There are a lot of things that will happen and you will have no power over this.”
