Perrie Edwards Shares Confession of Suffering Anxiety Like Ex Zayn Malik: ‘It Terrified Me’
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The British singer came forward about her mental health struggles in an honest and intimate message on April 17.
Perrie Edwards, 25, has vulnerably spoken up and let the world know that she struggles with anxiety in a lengthy Instagram caption on April 17. “Over the past few years I have suffered really badly with anxiety and panic attacks,” Perrie said. “When I first started to feel the effects of anxiety, I thought I was losing my mind and it terrified me. I felt so alone and like I was the first person in the world to ever experience it.”
The Little Mix singer detailed how scary it was for her to experience her first panic attack – she didn’t know what was happening. “The first panic attack was so intense and overwhelming, I felt like I was having a heart attack, I was so scared and confused and had no idea what was happening to me,” she continued. “I’m not sure what triggered that first one but it soon spiralled [sic] & I found myself in a really dark place, feeling alone and scared. I had people around me but I couldn’t explain to them what was happening to me or why. It affected me so badly that I didn’t even want to leave the house. I would step foot out the door and feel the overwhelming need to go straight back inside. It completely took over my life.”
Perrie went on to say that even though the “physical attacks” have discontinued, she still battles anxiety to this day. She said that she sometimes feels “like a prisoner” in her “own head.” The singer said, though, that what helped her was “discovering” she’s not “alone.”
“I’m not the only person going through this,” Perrie continued. “There are people all over the world feeling the exact same way I do! As soon as I realised [sic] I wasn’t going insane I felt more eager to beat it. I had therapy and I [surrounded] myself with my loved ones. Talking to someone relieves you of SO MUCH STRESS. I worked out coping mechanism’s and learned what the triggers are so that I can fight the attacks before they take hold. I restricted my time on social media which often made me feel trapped and claustrophobic. I took control of my life and accepted what I couldn’t control.”
The star concluded, “I don’t want to hide it anymore. I suffer from anxiety and I want you to all know if you suffer from anxiety you’re not alone ♥️.” The star’s empowering message came after her band, Little Mix, released their fifth album LM5 in Nov. 2018, which came after albums: DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), and Glory Days (2016). The singer rose to fame when she competed on the British reality television show The X Factor in 2011 with bandmates Jade Thirwall, 26, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 27, and Jesy Nelson, 27.