When former One Direction member and current chart-topper Zayn Malik pulled of his performance at the Capital FM Summertime Ball in London on Saturday we could practically hear the wails of Directioners all the way up in Scotland.
Of course for the fans with tickets, keen to see the Pillowtalk star, it was gutting news and unsurprisingly caused a lot of broken hearts and teary emojis to appear on our Twitter feeds.
But despite the disappointment, Zayn’s decision to drop out of the show because of his anxiety could help millions of fans worldwide to help deal with their own mental health issues.
The 23-year-old singer bravely took to Instagram to explain his decision to cancel, writing: “My anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me…with the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career. I cannot apologize enough but I want to be honest with everyone who has patiently waited to see me.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGhxCx4pqS-/?taken-by=zayn
And his openness and honesty with his fans is more important than any performance. He could have made up some rubbish about a tummy bug but instead he chose to be truthful about his personal battle with mental health.
And it’s an important issue for so many young people – last year the HMC found that more than 85% of teachers admitted they were concerned about mental health among their pupils. One in six Brits suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder and in 2013 there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK.
Despite the seriousness of the condition, many people feel ashamed and confused by it and keep it hidden from family and friends. But hopefully Zayn’s honesty will encourage more young people to come forward and seek support and guidance.
Zayn is just one of many young stars that has decided to be open with the public about his anxiety, following in the steps of actress Lena Dunham and vlogger Zoella.
As anyone suffering from anxiety knows, it’s a very real issue that deserves attention and care and on-off girlfriend Gigi Hadid wrote a beautifully worded message of support to Zayn over social media, proving how supportive family and friends can be.
“We are all here to support you and make each experience easier,” Gigi wrote. “Your talent and good heart will never lead you wrong. Love you and so proud of you always.”
Source’s top tips for dealing with anxiety:
1)Speak to someone
The first thing to do if you are feeling overwhelmed is to chat to someone. It can often feel hard to speak out because you might believe there’s no solution. But chatting to a friend or parent really can help put things in perspective and remind you that you are not alone.
2) Distract yourself
Sometimes when your mind runs away with you, you just need to take a deep breathe and try to focus on something else. Easier said than done right? That’s why it might be worthwhile trying to take up a new hobby, something that keeps you busy and gets your mind working on other things. So join the dance class or still painting workshop you always wanted to try – even if it’s just an hour a day, doing something you love is sure to give your brain a little TLC.
3) Mindfulness
Now don’t go rolling your eyes – mindfulness doesn’t have to be all kumbaya by the campfire. It can be as easy as downloading the Headspace app or doing some breathing exercises to calm your thoughts. Here are our fave non-ridiculous ones here.
4) Write your feelings down
Anxiety and stress often occur when your brain won’t acknowledge what your eyes can see. Even though your teacher is smiling at you, your brain might trick you and soon you’re spiralling with thoughts of how much you’re class hates you and you’re going to fail your test. STOP. Practice writing down what you know to be true. Then acknowledge any extra thoughts that are hanging around. Seeing all your emotions written down helps to contextualise your anxiety and identify any panic patterns.
5) Use your body
Moving your body can be the single best thing for your brain. Being in front of the screen all day can make both our bodies and minds feel a bit gloopy so in the words of T-Swift – you’ve got to shake it off. Whether it’s dancing for ten minutes in front of the mirror, or pulling out your running shoes, it doesn’t matter. As fellow anxiety athlete Lena Dunham says: ‘It ain’t about the ass, it’s about the brain.’