Camila Cabello Shared Her Anxiety Coping Tips on World Mental Health Day

What happened: Singer Camila Cabello took to Instagram on Monday to share a seven-minute video chronicling things she’s learned in her journey with anxiety. The post was in honor of World Mental Health Day, which was Sunday, Oct. 10. In the video Cabello shared that, for her, practicing mindfulness and exercising every day are key stress management tools. She also recommended being kind to yourself and learning to accept your emotions. “You can’t berate yourself into feeling better,” she said. “You have to just kind of hold your pain and whatever your struggle is like your baby.”

The singer also advised journaling about things you’re grateful for and turning the water from hot to cold after a shower to help regulate the nervous system.

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everybody’s journey and experience with mental/ emotional health is different. I wanted to make a quick video talking about my journey and some tools that have helped me in case they might be helpful for some of you who may be watching.The thing that’s helped me the most is doing research and empowering myself with the knowledge of how the brain works and what is happening inside me so I don’t feel so caught off guard when strong emotions come up. Learning little by little about the science behind the brain and the nervous system makes it so I’m less scared of how i feel and can implement tools (for example, deep belly breathing, grounding myself in my senses – see, touch, hear, feel, smell). I’ve learned about the neuroscience behind trauma response and the vagus nerve and that when I feel stress/ anxiety, my body thinks it’s under a threat and is actually mobilizing to protect me, so I don’t get mad at it anymore, I just remind myself I’m safe. There’s so much information that has empowered me to know my body and my brain better so I can be in the drivers seat. This isn’t a one time thing, it’s something i work at everyday, but it’s worth it. There are so many things that affect our mental health, traumatic experiences, emotional abuse, being in extremely toxic environments. There’s systemic oppression, discrimination, inequality, that have been going on for far too long, not to mention financial troubles that have only been made worse by a global pandemic, and countless more things that affect our mental health- but i wanted to share my journey and some of the tools that have helped me take my power back. Healing is a lot of work, but don’t let anybody tell you it’s impossible, even if it feels like it right now- you will be stronger, wiser, and a more compassionate human for it. I’m committed to doing my best to help others as much as I can while working towards healing myself. Let’s de- stigmatize conversations around mental health, mental illness, and trauma so we can help each other heal and also take preventative action. ???????? (PS I know I’m a day late but I wanted to post anyways hehe)

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Oct 11, 2020 at 11:51am PDT

The Frontlines: Earlier this year Cabello spoke out about her experience with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in an essay in the Wall Street Journal. She pointed out the difference between what she posts to Instagram and how she was feeling in inside, and emphasized how difficult it was to tell anyone about how she was struggling. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), meditation and breathing exercises were among the methods she learned to manage anxiety. Cabello is not alone in her experience:

• Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental condition in the U.S. with more than 40 million adults impacted.
• Only 36% of people dealing with an anxiety disorder receive treatment.
• The category of anxiety disorders includes a broad subset of more specific issues like generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety, specific phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A Mighty Voice: Our contributor, Susanne Bruderer, shared a creative and effective tip she learned to help manage her anxiety. “I was mostly angry at my anxiety for lying to me. For telling me that everything was going to go wrong. For whispering absurd catastrophes into my ear and making me question my sanity. And then, I had this one thought directed at my anxiety: ‘I wonder what else you’re wrong about.’” You can submit your first person-story, too.

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Other things to know: Struggling with anxiety is draining and can leave you feeling defeated and frightened. Thankfully, there is hope. Read how some other people are facing down their fears and finding ways to cope:

• How Watching Sitcoms Impacted My Anxiety
• 6 Ways to Get Involved and Reduce Election Anxiety
• What Living Life Despite Anxiety Means to Me
• How My Husband Inspired Me to Change My ‘What If’ Anxiety Thinking

How to take action: Anxiety can be debilitating but there is effective treatment available. Therapy and medication are often frontline methods but there are alternative treatments that may work for you too. If you or a loved one are feeling any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away.

• Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
• A sense of impending doom, panic, or danger
• Excessive fear, worry, or guilt
• Increased heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• Weakness or tiredness
• Problems concentrating due to worries
• Problems sleeping
• Digestive or gastrointestinal issues
• Wanting to avoid things that bring on anxiety

The Crisis Text Line is available 24/7 to help walk you through an anxiety or panic attack and find help. You can text HOME to 741741 or message the word SHARE to them through their Facebook page to be connected to a counselor.