GOT7's Jay B Opens Up About His Outlook On His Mental Health

In an interview with Allure, GOT7‘s Jay B got the chance to touch upon the subject of mental health: how he views it, what he’s learned and what he thinks others should know.

During the interview, he opened up about seeking treatment and medication for depression and anxiety disorders. He revealed that, over the past four years, he felt extreme pressure to be perfect as an artist. Over time, he has learnt to be more confident and open about sharing those types of emotions with the world. He feels like his ability to be transparent about his emotions and mental health will help others gain confidence and hopefully open the ways of communication.

I want everybody to feel confident enough to speak about these kinds of problems that they have and be someone who can help speak out for them.

–Jay B

He has been working towards changing his outlook on his emotions, learning to evaluate them rather than accept them as facts, and also be able to express these emotions with his loved ones.

I think about my emotion one more time before I make a final decision about myself. Maybe I feel a little bit depressed, but I would think, ‘Oh, is this right? Let’s think about this again.’ It’s best to know where you are, your status, or how you feel. It’s important for the other people, as well, to know you.

–Jay B

As for the pressure he faced as an artist, he tries not to let that bleed into his personal life and his own identity as a human.

It’s really hard to distinguish those two identities, but I want to do a perfect performance on the stage. When I get off [it], I want to enjoy my daily life as a humble person. It’s only my job to be perfect, to pursue perfectionism in my career, in my music. But as a person, it’s good to just relax and chill. A quote that’s stuck with me is ‘you don’t live to work; you work to live.’

Conversations about sensitive topics, such as mental health, are important to have even though they might be difficult. Jay B opening up about his struggles is giving others the confidence to open up about their own struggles and understand that it’s not something to be ashamed by.