In a candid new interview with LeAnn Rimes, the singer opened up about how her career has contributed to her struggles with mental health.
Rimes, 39, has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager and has always felt like she needed to be a “superhuman” performer, she recently told Insider. At times, the singer had to push herself to get onstage, even while feeling ill, which ultimately magnified her physical and mental health issues.
“Being in the public eye from the time I was very young and having to override my humanness I think was a huge part of my experience with anxiety and depression and what was triggering it,” Rimes explained, noting that she was in a “dark place” and had “never been alone” to face her issues.
Rimes, who hosts the mental health-focused podcast “Wholly Human”, recalled the time she checked into a treatment center when she was 30.
“It was just time,” she shared. “It was time for me to break away from my deep codependency and to figure out what was chemically going on to be able to take care of myself.”
Now, the “How Do I Live” singer seeks a balanced lifestyle, including taking more time to release new music.
READ MORE: LeAnn Rimes Looks Back On Dealing With ‘Pretty Heavy Depression’ During The Pandemic
“I’m much more aware of my own needs and desires and limitations,” she said, “and I structure my life around that, instead of allowing it to structure me.”
Rimes previously noted that seeking treatment “was the best gift I could’ve given myself,” in a July 2021 interview with USA Today.
“I constantly had people around me my whole life, whether it be parents, my ex-husband, a manager or agent — all the world’s eyes were on me constantly,” she said at the time. “Talk about codependency. I had never been alone really until being in treatment for anxiety and depression.”
