Big Sean Opens Up About His Struggles With Depression & Anxiety
Big Sean has opened up about his struggles with depression and anxiety, which forced him to cancel a tour in 2018.
The rapper posted three videos to Instagram yesterday, detailing his experiences over the last year as he sought out therapy for help with his mental health.
"I wasn't feeling like myself and I couldn't figure out why," he says in the first video. "I just felt lost — and I don't know how I got there."
Sean says therapy helped him achieve "clarity" about his life and ambitions, and how to deal with relationships with people close to him. "I had a lot of toxic relationships around me," he says. "Even the relationship with my mum was getting to a point where we weren't talking like that. It was just weird because it had never been like that with me and her."
Sean goes on to say that the state of his mental health led to him losing interest in making music, saying it began to feel "like a job."
"I realized that it all started with me," he says. "I couldn't point the finger at anyone else, I had to point it at myself, nurture those relationships that were important to me but most importantly nurture the relationship with myself."
Sean says that spending time alone and doing activities by himself was beneficial to his mental wellbeing. He even went skydiving by himself to try and feel better.
"In the midst of that I definitely rediscovered myself and found a whole new energy and me being the source of it — not somebody else," he says. "Put the energy back into yourself, be clear about what you want to do and just know that it all translates to happiness."
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, there are resources to help you. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones. You can call directly at 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, you can contact Samaritans at 116 123.