- Lewis Hamilton has revealed that his experiences with mental health over the years have improved the way he deals with his emotions today
- The racing driver stated that he specifically dealt with depression “from an early age,” starting around the age of 13.
- “You learn about the things that were passed down to you by your parents, you notice those patterns, how you react to things, how you can change that,” he said. “What might have pissed me off in the past doesn’t piss me off today. I’m much more refined.”
Lewis Hamilton reflects on his experiences with mental health over the years and how he feels he is now “much more refined” when it comes to understanding his emotions at 39.
The decorated Formula 1 driver revealed in a new interview for The Sunday Timespublished on September 28, that he had “some really rough patches” in his twenties and had dealt with mental health issues “throughout his life”.
As Hamilton explained, he specifically dealt with depression “from an early age,” starting around the age of 13.
“I think it was the pressure of the race and struggling at school. Bullying,” he said. “I had no one to talk to.”
Although he was in therapy and “talked to a woman, years ago,” he said the experience “didn’t really help” and he would “like to find someone today.” Hamilton also said The Times that he has been on silent retreats and that he has read books on the subject such as the one from 1992. 5 languages of love by Gary Chapman.
“You learn about the things that were passed down to you by your parents, you notice those patterns, how you react to things, how you can change that,” he said. “What might have pissed me off in the past doesn’t piss me off today. I’m much more refined.”
Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone, England on July 18, 2021.
LARS BARON/POOL/AFP via Getty
All about Lewis Hamilton’s parents, Anthony Hamilton and Carmen Larbalestier
It has been a busy year of change for Hamilton, who announced back in February that he would be parting ways with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team after 11 years with the team to join Scuderia Ferrari in 2025 on a “multi-year deal”. The change comes after the end of the 2024 F1 season, which concludes in December with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His first race with Ferrari will be in Melbourne in March 2025.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions from the moment I signed — to tell my boss, that was scary,” Hamilton said. The Times. “But it’s so exciting because I remember watching Michael as a kid [Schumacher]. Every driver looks at that car and you wonder, ‘What would it be like to sit in the red cockpit?’ ”
Following his announcement earlier this year, as previously reported, Hamilton revealed that he had not shared the news with anyone — including his parents. “I didn’t talk to anyone. I didn’t tell my parents until the day it was announced. So nobody knew,” Hamilton told the BBC podcast Return to base February, writes the Associated Press. “I really wanted to do it for myself. In the end, I had to find out what would be best for me.”
He then added that he trusts his “intuition and [his] heart” in order to make the right decision. “I mean, the opportunity just presented itself and I was like, ‘OK, I have to think for a second,'” he said. “I didn’t have much time to think and I just had to act on my gut feeling and I decided to take the chance.”
Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Outside the world of F1, in his latest interview with The TimesHamilton talked about the possibility of raising a family one day, noting that he would like to “one day.”
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I do at the level I do today with that,” he said. “One of my best friends just had a baby and I can see how manic it is. And I have a bunch of nieces and nephews. There will be a time and a place for that, and I can’t wait for that part. But right now I’m busy.”
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