These Stars Have Spoken Publicly About Cracking Under Career PressuresHeres How They Pushed Through
Many people have dreams of obtaining social clout, fame and wealth. But beyond the red carpet, it’s not all glitz and glam.
Pop stars like Britney Spears, recently came back into public purview after a collective acknowledgement of the horrendous treatment she received in the 90s and aughts, all while climbing the music charts. She eventually suffered a mental illness episode and has since acknowledged her struggles with overall wellness. Other pop culture examples are Justin Bieber, who underwent a string of bizarre occurrences to which he later attributed to fame-induced depression and Lindsay Lohan who’s just now regaining her footing after years of struggles due to a demanding career.
Celebrities aren’t the only that have struggled with professional expectations.
Stress.org reports that 83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% attributing their job as the top stressor in their lives. Nearly one million Americans skip work each day because of anxiety and 76% of US workers have said that workplace stress adversely affects their personal relationships.
Fortunately, we all have the power to get back on track and our favorite stars are no exception. Many of them were brave enough to share their bouts with career pressure, and how they fought their way through it. Let’s take a look.
01
Megan Thee Stallion
02
Mariah Carey
Our favorite queen of the holidays has publicly shared she hasn’t always been so merry. Following the release of her debut film Glitter back in 2001 and a tough breakup, she began posting concerning messages on her personal website and had a questionable appearance on MTV’s TRL. She was then hospitalized for “extreme exhaustion.” Later, shared that she “didn’t have the right support system around me at the time.” Over time, she’s come back from that dark space stronger than ever and continues to thrive.
03
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige has always been transparent about her battle with esteem issues, drug dependency in her 20s and depression following abusive relationships. But for a time, she seemed happy and whole as a married woman to her then-husband, Kendu Isaacs. However, following their divorce in 2016 shared she was at one of her lowest points, saying she couldn’t pay her rent due to Isaacs demand for high alimony payments despite being rumored to have cheated on the superstar. All the while she was also juggling a demanding career. After the divorce was settled, Mary poured her pain into music and released the album, “Good Morning Gorgeous” which was an ode to her journey back to self-love.
04
Chloe Bailey
The talented singer-actress opened on October 1 during a Twitter Spaces had an unfiltered conversation about her s struggles with anxiety despite her burgeoning fame. “To all the people saying stuff to me about holding my God mom’s hand, guys, I suffer from anxiety,” she said. “Like, you all don’t know how bad, it’s really bad. Like, just because I seem cool, calm, and copasetic, which I am, when you’re a very creative person your mind is very active constantly, so I have really, really bad anxiety,” she shared. “My God mom is like, she is my safe haven and my safe space and she has to stop wearing rings sometimes because I’m squeezing her hand so hard … Everyone thinks I am this really confident person, which I’m not. I’m very insecure and the only time I feel confident enough is when I’m on stage.”
She added: “Stop saying negative things about that because you all don’t know she has been my rock and support system when I’m destructing inside.”
05
Janet Jackson
The notoriously private icon has famously protected her private life, and for good reason. She’d watched what fame did to her contemporaries and also shared she’d struggled with mental health challenges despite an immensely successful career for most of her life. While in her 30s, she shared in an Esquire interview that she suffered from “intense” depression stemming from professional pressure and self-image issues.
“I could analyze the source of my depression forever,” she said. “Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards. And of course, there are always the societal issues of racism and sexism.”
Despite this, she continued to remain true to herself and shared how her family helped her overcome.
