Anxiety is an emotion of dread, fear, and worry that something will go wrong. Zayn Malik, the performing artist and former member of One Direction opens up about his ordeal with anxiety in his new book Zayn. He confesses that he has canceled past performances while struggling with anxiety.
Anxiety tends to be the result of feelings of inadequacy, indecision, and uncertainty, being ill prepared, procrastination, etc. Zayn Malik has gone through all of this while battling anxiety. He says,
“When I was in One Direction, my anxiety issues were huge but, within the safety net of the band, they were at least manageable. As a solo performer, I felt much more exposed, and the psychological stress of performing had just gotten to be too much for me to handle—at that moment, at least.”
Those who suffer from anxiety tend to overreact to a stimulus. Zayn Malik canceled several of his performances. He did not sugar-coat or give excuses but decided, to be honest with himself and his fans. He bravely shared about his condition with the public. He said,
“To all those people who have been waiting to see me perform at the Capital Summertime Ball today. I flew into the UK last night to appear in my home country in front of my family, friends and, most importantly, my UK fans.
Unfortunately, anxiety, which has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has got the better of me…”
Malik’s plight did not end here. There were many fans who supported him and shared their experiences on Twitter. But then there were those who did not believe him. There were rumors and speculations against him.
“I found it really frustrating that, even now that I was being upfront about what the issue was, some people still found reasons to doubt it.
I know those who suffer from anxiety will understand, and I hope those who don’t can empathize with my situation.”
Mental health has been stigmatized and discriminated against physical health. Those who seek mental health care are ostracized due to the misunderstanding that mental disorders are untreatable. People with mental conditions are considered to be incapable of making decisions. The mental health care treatment institutions resemble human warehouses rather than places of healing.
Understanding such discrimination and ill-treatment Zayn Malik says,
“Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of; it affects millions of people every day.”
Knowing that several people had been misunderstanding his condition, he further tries to explain that,
“I love performing. I love the buzz. I don’t want to do any other job. That’s why my anxiety is so upsetting and difficult to explain. It’s this thing that swells up and blocks out your rational thought processes.”
It is necessary for us to break the stereotypes attached to mental health disorders. In those who suffer from anxiety, the defense mechanism of fight or flight is exaggerated. It may drain out the ability to perform everyday activities. As Zayn Malik quotes,
“Even when you know you want to do something, know that it will be good for you, that you’ll enjoy it when you’re doing it, the anxiety is telling you a different story. It’s a constant battle within yourself.”
