Megan Thee Stallion to BTS: 8 Artistes Who Took Mental Health Breaks

These artistes are tackling the stigma attached to mental health by openly taking breaks for rest and rejuvenation.

Demi Lovato, Megan Thee Stallion and Simone Biles are few of the following celebrities who've opened up about taking mental health breaks.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest; Edited by The Quint)

It's been an abundantly busy year for American rapper, Megan Thee Stallion. From being the cover girl for Rolling Stone and headlining several music festivals to kickstarting a mental health resource website and hosting the highly popular comedy show, Saturday Night Live - the Savage rapper has been juggling multiple hats while releasing her album, Traumazine.

Moreover, fans were shocked when news broke of her Los Angeles home being broken into and raided when she was away in New York. Apart from the incredibly dangerous threat to her safety and security, she's also dealing with the loss of $300,000 worth of property.

So when the Body singer took to social media to announce that she's planning to take a break after hosting SNL, fans embraced her decision to focus on her mental wellbeing. Here's her tweet:

Megan Thee Stallion isn't the first person to take a break to focus on her physical and emotional wellbeing. At a time when artistes are treated as commodities, their mental health struggles cannot be ignored.

No matter the fame and money celebrities garner, seeing them open up about taking breaks for their mental wellness not only humanizes them but highlights two crucial facts: one, no one is above mental health struggles and two, everyone deserves a break.

Apart from Megan Thee Stallion, here are 7 other artistes who've openly taken breaks to nurture their mental health:

1. Justin Bieber

Canadian singer Justin Bieber.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

After being diagnosed with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, Bieber took to social media to share that he's been suffering from partial face paralysis. Due to the toll his condition took on both his physical and mental health, the Canadian singer decided to call off his Justice World Tour which was scheduled for October 2022.

Taking to Instagram, the Peaches singer wrote, “After resting and consulting with my doctors, family and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me.”

After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I'm going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better.

JUSTIN BIEBER

2. Simone Biles

American gymnast, Simone Biles.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Touted to be "the greatest gymnast of all time", Simone Biles stunned the world after withdrawing from the final competition at the 2020 Olympics, stating that she didn't have the mental bandwidth to continue competing. Even though she received a barrage of hatred after taking the unarguably tough decision, the four-time Olympic Gold medalist strongly defended her need to take a break by responding, "We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we're human, too." After withdrawing from the Olympics, she appeared on NBC's TODAY Show and explained how the immense pressure of being the "head star of Olympics" took a toll on her emotional wellbeing.

Physically, I feel good. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star of the Olympics isn't an easy feat. So we're just trying to take it one day at a time.

SIMONE BILES

3. BTS

World's biggest boy band, BTS.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Since their meteoric rise to stardom , world's biggest K-pop band, BTS has often been candid about mental health struggles and have taken brief breaks to focus on their physical and emotional well-being. Before the band's recent decision to go forward with South Korea's mandatory military enlistment, the septet was on an indefinite hiatus, in order to prioritize their individual professional and personal commitments.

Assuring fans that they are not disbanding, the band put out an hour-long video statement on YouTube, talking about the reasons behind their decision. The group's leader, Kim Namjoon - popularly called RM - shed light on some issues he's grappling with and his need to take a step back.

I continued feeling stuck (after the global popularity of their English songs, Butter and Permission to Dance) and attempted to brush it off, but things kept coming up for BTS and the world wouldn't allow me (to take time off). We've lost our way and I'd want to take some time to reflect. I'm concerned I'm not living up to the expectations of my fans. I'm also scared that I started speaking for the group because I was more fluent in English, and it made me feel even more awful.

RM

4. Shawn Mendes

Canadian singer-songwriter, Shawn Mendes. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

In July of this year, Canadian singer-songwriter, Shawn Mendes announced that his Wonder tour will have to prematurely end, citing mental health struggles. After opening up about the toil touring takes on one's physical and mental states - especially after the harrowing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stitches singer had postponed the remaining tours. Still, he soon took to social media to share with his that the USA tour stood canceled.

Sharing a lengthy note on Instagram, the artiste wrote, "After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger."

5. Nischay Parekh (of Parekh & Singh)

Indie pop duo, Parekh & Singh.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Hailing from Kolkata, Nischay Parekh, the vocalist of the Indie dream pop duo Parekh and Singh had to cancel their 2019 Science City Tour due to his ongoing battle with anxiety and depression.

In an Instagram post which has since been deleted, the Je Suis la Pomme Rouge singer elaborated, “There have been extreme highs, thanks to a very supportive base of fans over the years. However, another common thread has been anxiety, stress, and recently, depression…while I know that many live performers suffer from performance anxiety, mine just seemed to evolve and grow as the years went by." He also added that his struggles with mental disorders wasn't the only reason behind cancelling the show. The singer claimed that logistical challenges and the pressure to make his shows “bigger” with every tour also added to the anxiety and it made him question his own abilities as a live performer.

6. Selena Gomez

American actor, singer and producer, Selena Gomez,

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Actor and musician, Selena Gomez has always been candid about her health issues. In 2015, she opened up about being diagnosed of an immune disorder called Lupus. In 2016, her disorder took a massive toll on her mental health - exacerbating her anxiety and depression and leading her to cancel the last leg of her Revival World tour. In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, the Only Murders in the Building actor opened up about her illness, "As many of you know, around a year ago (2015) I revealed that I have Lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways. I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”

I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.

SELENA GOMEZ

7. Demi Lovato

American singer-songwriter Demi Lovato. 

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Demi Lovato - who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns - has been gradually opening up about their rough history and experiences with addiction, substance abuse, self harm and eating disorder. In 2018, months after celebrating six years of sobriety, the Holy Fvck singer had relapsed and needed to be hospitalized after a drug overdose. This led to the cancellation of their Tell Me You Love Me tour.

She used the recovery duration to nurture her emotional and physical health. Since her unfortunate relapse, they have vocalized their continuing struggles with addiction. They also set up The Mental Health Fund in 2020 - not only to spread awareness about mental crises but also to help people struggling amidst the ongoing pandemic.