J Balvin opened up to his fans about his mental health struggles

Mental health is becoming more and more of a priority for people. 2020 has been an uncertain, stressful time for everyone, and talking about one’s stresses, anxieties, and even depression has become more normalized, even for celebrities. Colombian singer,  J Balvin  recently opened up about his mental health struggles to his fans.

The 35-year-old took to his Instagram story on Tuesday to tell his 44.8 million followers in Spanish that he has been battling anxiety and depression for some time. He told his fans that he took a small break from social media because he didn’t want to hide or fake what he was really going through. “Like any human being, I‘ve had some challenges, this time it’s anxiety and some depression,” the singer said.

“I don’t like to act, I don’t like to fake it, ‘Ah, happiness. Everything is perfect,‘” he said. “No, because I’m a human being just like everyone else and I’m also fragile and very vulnerable, possibly even more so than many of you,” Balvin continued.

The “X” singer went on to say, “Soon this will pass just like every storm, and I’ll be on here again talking more with you all, making jokes because just acting like it, no. I’m not up for that,” he concluded. “I have to always be real and share what I feel in the moment. I love you all very much.” The 35-year-old ended his stories by saying, “I love you all. Jose,” which is the singer’s real name.

This isn’t the first time Balvin has opened up about his mental health struggles to his fans. In October, he posted an Instagram photo of himself with a caption in Spanish, telling his fans “Although it looks like color on the outside, many times there is a lot of darkness on the inside. I pray for the mental health of all of us who need it, depression and anxiety are real, don’t be afraid to accept them and seek professional help.”

© J Balvin

Balvin’s candidness about his mental health struggles inspired singer  Camila Cabello  to also open up about her own struggles. The Cuban singer wrote about Balvin in Time’s September issue saying, “During a period of intense anxiety, I saw his posts on Instagram talking about his struggle with anxiety and mental health, and I remember bursting out crying because I no longer felt alone, amazed that someone who was achieving such incredible things was still vulnerable and brave enough to share that with the world,” her words were in Time’s issue chronicling its 2020 list of the ”100 Most Influential People.”