Fifth Harmony were forced to finish one of their concerts as a four-piece on Friday night (2nd September) after bandmate Camila Cabello left the stage early to deal with a bout of anxiety.
The group, who first found fame on The X Factor USA back in 2012, were performing at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis when the singer exited the stage and never returned. At the time, her fellow bandmates said that Camila had suffered a wardrobe malfunction but the real reason for her absence was later revealed in a Snapchat story. Camila wrote, “sorry I couldn’t finish the set last night. I was having too much anxiety. I love you, I’m truly sorry.”
She later tweeted about wanting to sleep:
just wanna sleep for 3 days
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) September 3, 2016
The following day, she seemed more positive and she thanked her fans for their support:
Dallas, I'm so excited to see you ?
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) September 4, 2016
thank u guys for all the love, I love u so much
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) September 4, 2016
The singer returned to the stage two days later on Sunday night (4th September) to perform with her bandmates at the Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas. Following the show, she tweeted:
Dallas u made my heart so happy tonight. thank u????
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) September 5, 2016
Sadly, this isn’t the first time that the 19-year-old has had to struggle with anxiety. She spoke out about her battle in a candid interview with Billboard in 2015 where she revealed, “I was having terrible anxiety, non-stop. My heart would beat really fast the whole day. Two hours after I woke up, I would need a nap because my body was so hyperactive… It was so f—ed up. I was scared of what would happen to me, of what the things in my brain might tell me… I realised that the stuff I thought was important wasn’t worth my health.”
Now, Camila manages her anxiety by writing in a diary every day, working out, and meditating.
But anxiety is a constant battle and sometimes it doesn’t matter how many diary entries you write or how many workouts you can squeeze into a week. As the singer proved when she had to leave the stage mid-show last week, sometimes anxiety wins no matter what.
Anxiety is that little devil on your shoulder that is constantly whispering, “you can’t do this,” in your ear. It is the negative thoughts in your head that you just cannot shake no matter how hard you try. It is the sinking feeling in your stomach whenever you wake up in the morning and realise what you have to do in the day ahead. Anxiety is a constant drain. It will always be there and the reality of that is both mentally and physically exhausting. When you are going through something bad, your anxiety can make you feel ten times worse by causing you to dwell on the negatives and when you are going through something good, your anxiety will always find a way to suck out any of the positives. You can never catch a break.
Anxiety is a real issue that many people all over the world have to deal with every day, but not by choice. Anybody who has the disorder will tell you that it is hard work. It takes over every aspect of your life because it can be experienced it in many forms whether that is mental, emotional, or physical. It has no bounds, and it does not dispute between a celebrity or a regular Joe.
This is why it is so important that the issue of is talked about. There should be no stigma attached to anxiety or to any mental health issue, as it is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything it makes the person who is going through it stronger by giving them a completely different perspective of life. It makes them value good days so that they have enough strength to make it through the bad days and it makes them really cherish the people who have stayed by their side to support them and love them through it all.
We are sure that Camila sought comfort in the kind words of her fans as well as her friends and family during her recent bout of anxiety and it is important that this continues. If you know someone who suffers from anxiety then make sure that you stick around to help them even on a bad day, and if you are someone who suffers from anxiety then please be willing to accept this help. You do not have to bottle your feelings up. If you let them out then the issue itself will not go away, but the burden on your shoulders will be eased and you will find everything so much better to deal with.
We are so glad that Camila has been open about this issue in order to raise awareness of it. Other famous people who have spoken out about their anxiety issues in the past are Adele, Zayn Malik, Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, Johnny Depp, and David Beckham so it is clearly a real issue which real people suffer from and it is important for everyone who has it to know that; a) you are not alone and b) you’ve got this!
If you or someone you know is suffering from anxiety and needs any support then go to this website.