Lainey Wilson opens up about 'terrifying' moments in mental health journey

Lainey Wilson opened up about taking care of her mental health in the new Netflix documentary, Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool, which you can now stream in NZ.

The Grammy-winning country star relived her journey in music, including how music was a part of her childhood, her job as a Hannah Montana impersonator as a teen, her 14 years in Nashville, Tennessee (which started with the singer-songwriter living in a camper trailer at 19), and more. Wilson marked a meteoric shift in her career after Things A Man Oughta Know became her first No. 1 single in 2021. Since then, the Baskin, Louisiana-born superstar has scored other No. 1 hits, her first Grammy, more than a dozen Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards, became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, sold out venues on her headlining tours and more.

Lainey said in the documentary that she considers herself an “introverted extrovert,” because “at the end of the day, when I need to collect myself and get some more energy together, I need to be by myself. I love people, but in order for me to fill my cup back up, I need to lock it down for a minute.” She admitted that if she’s feeling down about herself, she makes jokes at her own expense because “it’s not gonna hurt my feelings if other people are [saying those things].”

“A couple years ago was wild. Everything I’d ever dreamed about kind of happened all at once,” Lainey said. “You know, when opportunities come at you and you didn’t have any for so long, you want to just take them all. And I guess a little bit of that was probably fear that they weren’t always going to be there. And I think, too, I was probably finding my self-worth in what I was doing. The performer, the artist, the songwriter, the girl who’s going and shaking everybody’s hands and kissing everybody’s babies. Instead of who I truly am.”

Lainey opened up about feeling “overstimulated,” and a period of time that she didn’t feel like herself.

“I had reached a point where I was just like, I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same,” the Whirlwind artist said. “I was extremely anxious, and anxiousness caused depression. And it’s like the depression caused more anxiousness because I was like, ‘why in the world am I depressed during this time of my life? This is everything I’ve ever wanted.’ …I had several breakdowns, I guess you could say. I was just losing it. I was like, I don’t know if I can go any further.”

Lainey's manager, Mandelyn Monchick, remembered a time she received a tearful call from Lainey, who was at the airport in St. Louis, Missouri. 

“It was a solid panic attack for multiple days,” Lainey recalled. “And I had played shows and everything while I was having a panic attack. It was terrifying. It was a chemical imbalance happening. I was spiraling out of control. And then it’s like the fear of thinking that you’re always going to be in that mindset causes more anxiety. It’s just like a vicious cycle.

“I think it is important for me, at times, to show people I don’t have my sh*t all together,” Lainey continued, opening up about the pressure on herself to “be perfect” in everything she does, and how that pressure kept “piling stress on top of me.” She emotionally shared, “I think just knowing that I’ve found my place and I ain’t going anywhere, I feel like now that I have put my stake int he ground, it definitely takes some stress off.”

Lainey believes the “hardships” she’s been through helped to inform her songwriting and storytelling, and to connect with others more deeply.

“I reached out to Reba about a year ago,” Lainey reflected. “I said, ‘this is a loaded question, but what do you do when you feel like you can’t go any further?’ And she said, ‘I do it for somebody else.’ and that right there has put so much in perspective for me. I get on that stage and I do it for other people. this is not about you,” Lainey said as the documentary showed an emotional moment she shared with Hurricane Helene survivors at a concert that took place weeks after the disaster. “I want to make it about other people.”

Lainey also opened up about her mental health journey in a recent interview with PEOPLE for the publication’s cover story. She said in that interview, in part, that she was feeling “exhausted and burned-out from having to constantly be on,” as she balanced a hectic schedule. The advice from Reba and heartfelt moments with her fans on the Whirlwind Tour helped carry her through challenging times. Lainey told PEOPLE that she hopes her story will “encourage people to speak up…when you’re not feeling great, because there most likely will be people around you who can help you through it or get you the help you need. If you’re not telling the people around you how you’re feeling then nobody’s going to know.”

Throughout the documentary, Lainey also offers a glimpse into her upbringing in Louisiana, the time she got paid in free hot dogs, life with fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges (including the proposal), family plans, major career milestones and more. Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool “follows Lainey as she redefines what it means to be a modern country star, proving that staying true to yourself can lead to major success. The film captures a pivotal moment in her career, exploring the country icon’s personal journey and chronicling her struggles and triumphs as she captivates fans on stage across the country,” per Netflix.

“I couldn’t be more excited that this documentary is going to be on Netflix,” Lainey said in a statement when the documentary was announced earlier this year. “This was such a special project to make, and I hope that folks who watch it see that no dream is too big and that staying true to who you are will always lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.”

Written by iHeart.com and republished with edits & permission

Hear Lainey Wilson and more of your favourite country artists on iHeartCountry NZ by using the player below.