Lainey Wilson may appear to have it all thanks to her booming music career, countless accolades, and millions of dollars in the bank, but that doesn't mean she is immune to struggles with her mental health.
The "Heart Like A Truck" singer, 33, opened up about her battles with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks in her new Netflix documentary, Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool.
And in a new interview with People, Lainey shared some encouraging words after admitting that she opened up about her experiences so others would speak up about their own mental health struggles.
"Speak up when you're not feeling great, because there most likely will be people around you who can help you through it or get you the help you need," she advised.
"If you're not telling the people around you how you're feeling, then nobody's going to know."
In her Netflix documentary, Lainey bravely spoke about the challenges she has faced with her mental health.
© FilmMagicRecalling her rise to fame, Lainey said: "I was going around meeting every radio station in America. You go into a conference room, and you play your song, and sometimes they're into it, sometimes they're on their phone, sometimes you're singing to the carpet.
"After four months solid visiting all these different radio stations, I was just exhausted, and I was burned out from having to constantly be on," she added. "I wanted to curl up in a little ball and shut the world out completely."
© Getty ImagesLainey admitted that she began to struggle with her mental health when her career started to gain traction. "A couple of years ago was wild. When opportunities come at you, and you didn't have any for so long, you want to just take them all.
"And I guess a little bit of that was probably fear that they weren't always going to be there. And I think, too, I was probably finding my self-worth in what I was doing.
"The performer, the artist, the songwriter, the girl who's going and shaking everybody's hands and kissing everybody's babies. Instead of who I truly am. I had reached a point where I was just like, 'I don't know if I’ll ever be the same.'"
She continued: "I was extremely anxious, and anxiousness caused depression. And it's like the depression caused more anxiety because I was like, 'Why in the world am I depressed during this time of my life? This is everything I've ever wanted.'
"I had several breakdowns, I guess you could say. I was just losing it. I was like, I don't know if I can go any further."
Lainey said that she suffered a panic attack, calling it a "terrifying chemical imbalance." "I was spiraling out of control," she admitted. "And then it's like the fear of thinking that you're always going to be in that mindset causes more anxiety. It's just like a vicious cycle."
© Getty ImagesLainey is now able to manage her anxiety and depression thanks to therapy and some sound advice from country music icon, Reba McEntire.
"'When I feel like I can’t do it anymore, I do it for somebody else,'" Lainey recalled the advice Reba gave her. "It was like a light bulb went off," she added.
