Hayley Kiyoko Says Chronic Stress ‘Severely Impacted’ Her Mental Health: ‘The World Is Very Hard to Navigate’

• Hayley Kiyoko has struggled with chronic stress and depression since she was a teenager
• The singer admitted that managing stress has been difficult over the years due to her active lifestyle in the music industry
• She said music has been a great tool for managing her stress levels and identifying her triggers has helped alleviate it

Hayley Kiyoko talks about her struggle with chronic stress and how she’s learned to deal with it over the years.

The singer-songwriter, 32, recently spoke with Diversity and reflected on her mental health issues and the importance of taking care of her body.

“I don’t think it’s good to have chronic stress. I think it seriously affected my health. I had a lot of health problems,” she told the newspaper. “Being in this industry and having such a demand to constantly show up and leave and leave and leave has definitely taken a toll on my mental and physical health. It has always been a challenge for me how to manage that stress while still doing the things I want to do?”

“I feel that our health comes first and if we can’t show up for ourselves, we can’t show up for others,” she continued.

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Hayley Kiyoko in Los Angeles in October 2023.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Kiyoko admitted that a big factor contributing to her chronic stress was being “closed off” when she was a teenager, noting that she also struggled with depression at the time. The artist came out as a lesbian in 2015 through her confessional song “Girls Like Girls”, in which she told when she fell in love for the first time.

“When you hold on to your truth, it affects your stress and your health, and even though I didn’t feel safe enough to share in my environment, I was able to share it and put it through the song,” she said.

The “For the Girls” singer said her approach to her health was put into perspective when, just a year after being diagnosed with post-concussion disorder and depression in 2016, her father’s heart health deteriorated and he received a transplant.

“Things are very near and dear to my heart, because someone saved my father’s life by being a donor,” Kiyoko said.

She continued: “I’ve just learned that our health is very important and that we take care of our bodies, check ourselves, see doctors and don’t ignore the fact that we’re getting older as each year goes by, and maybe try to avoid alcohol and drugs and certain things that they can really increase stress and health problems.”

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Hayley Kiyoko performs at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles in September 2022. Timothy Norris/Getty

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Kiyoko said Diversity that music has been a great tool for her when it comes to managing her chronic stress, encouraging others to find what works for their mental health and helps ease the pain.

“I think that the world is very difficult for every human being to navigate. It can be very dark – explained the “Radoznale” singer. “It’s unrealistic to say that you just can’t have stress in your life, but what is realistic is to be able to recognize the triggers that cause stress and be able to combat it with things that relieve stress.”

“It’s really important to raise awareness about mental health and heart health because stress really affects our hearts — and our hearts are the pulse of everything,” she said.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the text crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education