Meghan Trainor is being transparent about her experience with panic illness. As part of the Apple Fitness Time to Walk series, which involves famous people telling stories as they walk, the singer of “Better When I’m Dancing” recently revealed some of her experience. (Spoiler alert: You can use the app on an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple TV to access Fitness material.)
The 28-year-old singer discussed how her life became “chaotic” following her Grammy victory in 2016 and how she need vocal chord surgery in 2017. When her assistant began ticking off everything she needed to accomplish over the next week shortly after Trainor’s recuperation, she reportedly felt as like she couldn’t breathe. My spouse, who was my boyfriend at the time, was beside me and helped me to calm down as I thought, “This was it, I’m going to die like this,” the singer recalled.
Although Trainor admitted to having anxiety as a child, she added that the recent experience “felt like something was taking over my body.” Later, she discovered that what she had gone through was a panic attack.
She claimed, “I got migraines, my brain was on fire, and my back was on fire.” I saw all the doctors, an acupuncturist, and then a psychologist. I declared, “I’m not sad; in fact, I’m incredibly happy; I’m in love; my career is fantastic; and my family is in good health. There is nothing wrong. She eventually received a panic disorder diagnosis.
If you’re unfamiliar, panic disorder is a mental health disease characterized by recurrent, inexplicable panic attacks (NIMH). When there is no clear risk or trigger, panic attacks occur when you experience a sudden wave of anxiety, discomfort, or a sense of losing control. According to the NIMH, it is possible to experience a panic episode without going on to develop a panic disorder.
According to the NIMH, panic attacks frequently result in symptoms that can mimic a heart attack. These can occur as infrequently as a few times a year or as frequently as several times a day, and involve trembling, tingling, or a rapid heartbeat. According to the NIMH, there are many ways to treat panic disorder, including talk therapy, medications, or a combination of both.
The scariest thing ever is when a doctor tells you there’s something wrong with your brain, therefore Trainor says taking antidepressants saved her life. The singer noted in an interview with Romper earlier this year that there are still stigmas surrounding the topic even though she seems to have no difficulty talking about how she uses medicine to address her mental health.
Riley spent some time in the NICU after Trainor gave birth because, as she previously stated, the nurses implied that she was to blame for Riley’s inability to wake up for feedings. They were asking me if I was taking antidepressants while pregnant, and I was, but I was only taking the smallest dose possible, and all of my doctors said it was safe and wouldn’t harm the baby, she told Romper. It was seriously screwed up. They were unable to identify the issue. He simply wouldn’t awaken.
Trainor has previously talked about having panic episodes as well. As she admitted to People in 2020, Trainor “went to the emergency room a couple of times” as a result of panic attacks. She noted that taking medicine, going through counseling, and getting acupuncture helped her deal. Now that it has been a few years, and I haven’t experienced a panic attack in that time, I feel like I have overcome it. At the time, Trainor told the magazine, “I kicked some ass.”
According to Trainor on her Time to Walk episode, she is now her “happiest, best self.” The singer gave others some advise as well. There is hope, she said, if you’re out there like she was, pleading for assistance while feeling lost and afraid. As long as you locate someone and inform them.
