Celebrities
Dwayne Johnson opens up about battling depression
Johnson opened up about his battles with mental illness.
While appearing on an episode of ‘The Pivot’ podcast, Dwayne Johnson opened up about his battle with depression throughout the years.
Johnson explained that he first became depressed while attending the University of Miami. He obtained a shoulder injury which halted his college football career.
“My first battle with depression was down there in Miami. I didn’t want to go to school, I was ready to leave. I left school. I didn’t take any midterms and I just left,” he said.
“But the interesting thing at that time is, I just didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know what mental health was, I didn’t know what depression was. I just knew I didn’t wanna be there.”
Johnson’s multiple encounters with depression
The actor’s second encounter with depression came in 2007 following his divorce from ex-wife Dany Garcia.
“Years later, I went through it again when I got a divorce — didn’t know that it was,” Johnson said.
“Years later, around 2017 or so, I went through it a little bit. Knew what it was at that time and luckily I had some friends that I could lean on and say, ‘Hey, I’m feeling a little wobbly now. I got a little struggle happening, seeing a little grey and not the blue.’”
He struggled again at 23-years-old when Johnson was kicked out of the Canadian Football League and didn’t make it into the NFL, crushing his dreams of being a professional football player.
Healing and recovery
On Friday, Johnson shared a message about mental health on his Instagram.
“I’ve worked hard over the years to gain the emotional tools to work thru any mental pain that may come to test me,” he wrote. “But years ago I didn’t know what mental health struggle was.
“As men, we didn’t talk about it. We just kept our head down and worked thru it. Not healthy but it’s all we knew. If you’re going thru your own version of mental wellness turning into mental hell-ness, the most important thing you can do is talk to somebody.
“It can’t be fixed if you keep that pain inside. Having the courage to talk to someone is your superpower. I lost two friends to suicide.
“Talk to someone. Despite how you may feel, you’re never alone.”
Johnson also referenced his daughters – Tiana, Jasmine, and Simone – as his “saving grace”.