Take time for yourself: Kesha on mental health

Washington: In the age of increasing mental health issues, singer-songwriter Kesha has voiced her opinion, advising people to give importance to “personal time” in order to combat mental illness.

The ‘Tik Tok’ hit-maker has penned an essay for the Time magazine, sharing her mantra to help people during the stressful and emotional time of the holiday season, Contactmusic reported.

“Around the holidays, I often feel like I’m supposed to be everywhere, with everyone – all with the added guilt that it’s the season of giving. To fight this, I’ve developed a mantra: It’s not selfish to take time for yourself. Take a walk in nature. Talk to a friend you trust or a therapist. Sit out one of the holiday gatherings in favour of some personal time. Just do whatever helps you calm down and gives you a break from the stress”, she wrote.

The 30-year-old also asked people to stop taking the responsibility of pleasing everyone as that can lead to an inevitable “shame cycle”.

“It’s not your responsibility to try to make the whole world happy. Especially since sometimes it’s not that easy to make yourself happy, either – even with all the celebrations and gifts and seasonal decorations, foods and drinks, which can only do so much. So don’t ask yourself things like ‘It’s almost Christmas, why am I not happy?’ That can turn into a shame cycle. It’s just another day – don’t put unrealistic expectations on it, and don’t beat yourself up”, she added.

Katie Couric’s article on dealing with grief and Patton Oswalt’s essay on loneliness, will also appear along with Kesha’s piece in the TIME magazine. (ANI)