COVID-19 Compelled Singer Andy Grammer to Deal with His Psychological Well being
- Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is talking out about psychological well being.
- He shares how the pandemic compelled him to take care of his psychological well-being and why he’s headlining an occasion to fund psychological well being consciousness.
- Grammer additionally shares how music is therapeutic for each him and his followers.
Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is thought for his uplifting catchy songs. From “Hold Your Head Up” to “Honey, I’m Good” even his tune titles unfold a message of positivity.
However Grammer needs the world to know that regardless of his outward persona, he too generally struggles with psychological well being challenges. In the course of the pandemic, he turned to remedy and self-work to handle his psychological well-being.
“[When] it received utterly quiet and I used to be not allowed to go away my home and never allowed to be round hundreds of individuals and never allowed, truthfully, to simply be distracted, I used to be compelled to sit down with myself, and that was not tremendous enjoyable,” Grammer advised Healthline. “[I] realized, oh, I received plenty of work inside, invisible work to do right here that I don’t suppose I’d have performed as quickly if it hadn’t been for the pandemic.”
To lift consciousness about psychological well being and well-being, he’s headlining the fundraiser Past the Sidelines Friday September 23. Proceeds from the occasion will profit Kicking The Stigma, an initiative led by the Indianapolis Colts and Irsay household, which goals to boost consciousness about psychological well being issues and take away the stigma related to them.
“It’s been actually cool to align with totally different organizations which can be doing actually good work to interrupt the stigma,” mentioned Grammer. “[I] wish to be actually open about it and say that I struggled rather a lot and it’s completely regular and okay to handle your self…We’re all fairly clear that when you break your leg, it’s good to go to PT and get a solid and do the entire thing, but it surely’s somewhat extra invisible and vaguer in terms of psychological well being, but it surely doesn’t must be.”
Under, Grammer shared extra with Healthline about psychological well being, music, and what retains him motivated and impressed.
Healthline: Whereas the pandemic negatively impacted your psychological well being, it sounds prefer it compelled you to concentrate to it. Is that proper?
Grammer: In hindsight, I’m grateful for it. I’m presently outdoors of a constructing proper now. We’re filming a podcast known as Man Sufficient, which is all about masculinity, and we had been entering into, yesterday, an episode about what it’s about guys that we really feel like going to remedy is weak or one thing. It nearly sounds cliché to speak about. It’s a degree that’s been introduced up lots; there’s nothing new about it. What’s attention-grabbing is that for me, I needed to be utterly destroyed to say, ‘okay, wonderful, I’ll go to remedy.’ Why does it should be that method? Why do I’ve to be so clearly not able to going about my day to then say, ‘okay, I feel I would like some assist.’ Somewhat than simply being like ‘I don’t really feel so nice,’ which is on a regular basis, not on a regular basis constantly, however all through the day, you’re like ‘I’m unhappy’ or ‘I’m anxious’ or ‘I’m these items.’
How did remedy enable you?
Remedy has helped me rather a lot. I’d love to assist do something to assist somebody to not get so low earlier than they’ll flip to it. Finally, it’s like are you creating house in your life to work by your individual stuff? and I do know for me, I used to be not, and that’s what the pandemic did for me. It type of compelled it upon me, which I’m in hindsight grateful for, but it surely was not tremendous enjoyable to undergo.
Was that your first time going to remedy?
I went to remedy one time in highschool. My mother despatched me as a result of I assumed I used to be supposed to start out on the varsity basketball workforce. I labored on it since I used to be in like 4th grade, and I didn’t begin. I got here off the bench as sixth man and it actually threw my id and my [self-worth] off and so then I went and talked to a therapist about 4 instances and it was fairly useful.
I feel I used to be afraid to personal the darker sides of myself. So, subsequently, it’s just a bit bit scary to acknowledge that to even your self that you just’re not excellent and everyone’s received crap. However when you’re by no means keen to take a look at that stuff or take care of the stuff inside your self, then you definately’re not being an entire model of your self, and there’s a place the place you’re okay, and completely sufficient, and completely loveable, and shitty generally.
Your songs are so optimistic and uplifting, however additionally they deal with deep critical emotions. Do you suppose folks usually suppose that people who find themselves completely satisfied, optimistic, and optimistic can’t have darkish days?
I can’t communicate for everyone else, only for myself. I do know for my very own artwork, when you’re going to be somebody who’s dealing on the earth of optimism and pleasure and uplifting your self and others, even the phrase uplift means that you’re low.
I wrote my first tune, “Hold Your Head Up,” after my mother died, so it’s all grounded in ache. I feel that hope may be actually rebellious in a darkish time, but when it’s not, that’s the type of optimism and hope that I attempt to sing about, that I can actually get behind…I feel that pleasure or happiness within the face of darkness is a lot extra attention-grabbing, and that’s normally the place that I’m writing from.
Has singing and writing been therapeutic for you?
Yeah. On the final tour, I began my present with a poem, and it leads right into a tune known as “Rattling it Feels Good to Me.” I feel it takes plenty of braveness to personal all of the items of your self. There’s an actual freedom in it, however it’s undeniably a brave act to in your artwork or in your life or with folks you belief, to share all of your self.
In a latest Instagram put up of yours, you talked about that you just initially wrote songs for your self, however realized how a lot they impacted different folks. Is that rewarding?
It’s tremendous rewarding. Whenever you do deeper work on your self…whenever you’re brave and also you share the entire model of your self in your artwork or in your life, it provides permission for different folks to do this of their lives and that’s such a candy factor that by type of therapeutic your self after which sharing no matter you discovered, you’re creating areas for different folks to do the identical. That’s an superior, superior life. I wish to do as a lot of that as doable.
Whenever you want a psychological increase, do you ever hearken to your individual songs?
I don’t flip by myself songs. I’ve my very own people who I am going to. That’s why it’s the largest praise on the earth when somebody tells me that I’ve been that for them as a result of I understand how essential it may be. Music is unbelievable. I at all times say music is sort of a religious chiropractor. In case you’re feeling funky, it will possibly go within you and provide you with somewhat crack to get you again on observe.
I had a day the opposite day the place I awoke, and I hadn’t slept very lengthy, and I used to be on the point of depart my resort out on tour, not in my finest headspace. I used to be like: Am I going to work out? Am I going to go eat some crappy factor? The place am I at? And somebody had simply textual content me a tune as I used to be leaving, and the tune was unbelievable, and it modified my day. It made me select higher variations of myself that day, and that’s actually essential and highly effective.
What self-care strategies or coping methods do you flip to throughout tough instances?
It’s positively very private, and I wish to make it possible for folks don’t suppose there’s some one-size-fits-all. I feel it comes all the way down to self-knowledge and understanding what it’s that really works for you. For me, I’m not at all times the most effective at it, however I’m fairly clear that if I get a exercise in, that helps rather a lot with my psychological well being.
After which one thing religious like respecting my very own depth. One thing that may go deeper and take me out of the day-to-day. If I do this in addition to exercise actually exhausting and get sweat in, it’s type of like you need to belief — since you don’t wish to do these issues — you need to belief that by the tip of it, you can be a greater model of your self. And over time, that has been made clear for me.
Is it rewarding to make use of your music to attract consideration to psychological well being?
One of the best factor that I really like about what I do, and when you’ve ever been to exhibits, is that you’re in a particular place the place you’re open to listening to some issues that you just won’t at all times be. You recognize? Like, it creates house so that you can go somewhat deeper into your self whenever you’re surrounded by all these folks, and music has this impact, so it may be a very particular time to go deep with folks.
Do you could have a specific tune that basically does that along with your viewers?
It’s so distinctive to folks. After I begin totally different songs, I can see that totally different folks have taken sure songs [to heart]. I’ve a tune proper now known as “Saved My Life,” which is about folks displaying up for you, and plenty of instances, I’ll begin that tune and see a mom and a daughter simply hugging and crying. I’ve a tune, “Don’t Give Up on Me,” which I feel does a few of that. “Hold Your Head Up” has been a tune that individuals use nearly like an aspirin once they’re not feeling good.
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