Lauv shares his mental health struggle: “We are creating a new world where speaking up about problems is a good thing”
Stefan KohliLauv revealed his struggles with depression and OCD earlier this year on social media, and now he’s written an essay for People about the importance of reaching out to those around you and asking for help. Lauv says he’s happy when fans tell him that his music, and the fact that he shared his story, has helped them with their own issues.
“Sometimes I feel guilty because, for example, my mom works in vaccine research and I’m like, ‘I’m just making music,’” Lauv tells ABC Audio. “But I think when stuff like that happens — when people actually connect with me on a real level — then I feel like I’m helping somebody. It feels like I’m not just making music, I’m doing something important, I guess.”
In his People essay, Lauv describes how he “spent almost the entire month of January in bed, trapped by obsessive negative thoughts and the need to organize them. My anxiety was at an all-time high, perpetually making me feel like life was on the brink of imploding.”
When he eventually told his friends and family how he was feeling, they urged him to get help, and with a combination of therapy and medication, he’s doing fine now.
“We are creating a new world where speaking up about one’s own problems is a good thing,” he writes in his essay.
As Lauv told ABC Audio a few months back, “I’m in a good place. I was kind of in a bad place beginning of this year but I got through it and I’ve been happy and I feel super lucky. I feel like this album is gonna change a lot for me and…I’m just lucky to be doing what I’m doing.”
Lauv’s new album ~how I’m feeling~ arrives in March.
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