Perrie Edwards is here to vent about the healing powers of venting.
The Little Mix member got candid about her battle with anxiety and panic attacks in a social media message on Wednesday, revealing that before she took control of her mental health, there was a time when she “didn’t want to leave the house.”
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Captioning a bare-faced selfie on Instagram (below), she wrote:
“I’d like to open up about something. Venting your feelings is healthy and I want to be honest with you all. Over the past few years I have suffered really badly with anxiety and panic attacks. When I first started to feel the effects of anxiety I thought I was losing my mind and it terrified me.”
But the real terror came when the singer had her first panic attack, which she explained was “so intense and overwhelming” that she felt like she was having a heart attack.
The 25-year-old continued:
“I was so scared and confused and had no idea what was happening to me. I’m not sure what triggered that first one but it soon spiralled [sic] & I found myself in a really dark place, feeling alone and scared. I had people around me but I couldn’t explain to them what was happening to me or why.”
The attacks were so overpowering, Perrie said there was a time when she couldn’t even step foot outside her home, admitting:
“I would step foot out the door and feel the overwhelming need to go straight back inside. It completely took over my life.”
Eventually, Zayn Malik’s ex decided to take control of her life by accepting what she “couldn’t control.”
The singer sought out therapy, where she learned some coping mechanisms to help get her “physical attacks” under control, and discovered what her triggers were so she could “fight the attacks before they take hold.” Aside from therapy, Perrie also said talking to loved ones and limiting her time on social media have helped decrease her mental unrest.
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However, the Black Magic songstress notes that she is still coping with anxiety on the reg, writing:
“I’ve had a relationship with my mind for 25 years now, so to feel it working against me sometimes makes me feel like a prisoner in my own head. It feels like the most unnatural thing in the world but the thing that helped me the most was discovering I’m not alone. I’m not the only person going through this. There are people all over the world feeling the exact same way I do!”
She ain’t wrong about that!
An estimated 40 million adults in the U.S. (18%) have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, while about 8% of children and teenagers experience an anxiety disorder. Sadly, only a reported 36.9% of those suffering are receiving treatment.
But Perrie doesn’t want people like her to suffer in silence any longer. She concluded:
“I don’t want to hide it anymore. I suffer from anxiety and I want you to all know if you suffer from anxiety you’re not alone.”
She’s here, she’s anxious, get used to it.
Props to Perrie for speaking her truth. Let’s hope she inspires others to do the same!
Read her full post (below).
[Image via WENN]
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