Brett Eldredge, among his strong, decade-old success as a country artist, has been known to be very open about the ups and downs of his mental health journey.
In the past, he has shared how anxiety makes celebrating career milestones difficult.
“I went through a stage where I was so hyped up about it [my career] that I wasn’t able to really enjoy what I loved to do,” he said. “[I had dreamed] of getting songs on the radio, then I got songs on the radio, and I loved that in the beginning, and then all of a sudden I just got all these pressures.”
Just this week, Eldredge took to Instagram to share a poem he wrote while “having a tough day mentally.”
“I wrote this poem when I was having a tough day mentally…we all have those days, I’ve certainly had my share…” he shared in the caption. “I used to fight it, still do at times, ya get frustrated, ya feel guilt or shame for feeling anxious or down…This life stuff can be really hard, but those tough days make the good days really count…sometimes its best to just let go and feel it all…I’m grateful for this ride, every part of it…hang in there:).”
“The more that I feel”
I woke up feeling less than myself
tried writing down all the words but it didn’t help
I walked along the bridge through the park at the commons
Still hurt held its grip much more than I wanted
I tried to escape every way that I could
Then I realized that feeling this way could be good
For how could I know the feeling of bliss
If life was all smiles and love without risk
So Today I’ll soak in all of this pain
The more that I feel
the more that I gain
—
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