“You’re Being Ridiculous”: Michael Phelps, Leonardo DiCaprio, Zayn Malik, and Other Celebrities Who Took the Daring Step of Accepting Their Vulnerabilities

23-times Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps is famous for his superhuman swimming skills. Ruling over the swimming world for 12 years, the athlete instantly retired after the 2016 Rio Olympics. Even then, fans and followers never stopped looking out for him. Phelps still hits the headlines and impresses fans in his unique ways. 

Like most other stars, Michael Phelps also struggled with mental health issues.  However, Michael Phelps, Leonardo DiCaprio, Zayn Malik, and other celebrities have inspired many by opening up about their traumas and mental health issues. 

Michael Phelps was considering taking extreme steps

The swimming champion had mental health problems since he was in sixth grade. Michael Phelps had difficulties concentrating in class and was diagnosed with ADHD. Nevertheless, even that couldn’t stop him from paying attention to swimming.

Phelps’ autobiography ‘Beneath the Surface: My Story’ discusses this in a detailed manner. “I simply couldn’t sit still, because it was difficult for me to focus on one thing at a time,” wrote the Olympian in his book.

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That’s not it. The iconic swimmer again fell into the hole after the 2012 London Olympics. He suffered from a severe depression that almost led him to end his life. Phelps termed that the “darkest part” of his life and shared it to encourage everyone to open up and face it boldly. 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Zayn Malik on their mental health struggles

The Oscar-winning star Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the OCD victims. His tendencies are not that severe anymore and are in control. Leo has the urge to walk through doorways and step on chewing gum stains. 

After realizing it and practicing to repel this urge, he was finally able to tell himself, “OK, you’re being ridiculous, stop stepping on every gum stain you see. You don’t need to do that.” 

Likewise, the worldwide famous singer, Zayn Malik, also faced something similar. He wrote about his battle with anxiety in an article with enough information and detail. 

“When I was in One Direction, my anxiety issues were huge but, within the safety net of the band, they were at least manageable,” the singer wrote.

Other renowned personalities like Adele, Lady Gaga, and NLF superstar Steve Young also faced mental health problems. Nevertheless, they came out of it stronger than ever. 

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Be it an elite athlete, a celebrity, a business owner, or any random human, everyone faces the lows. These big names are the encouraging factor many individuals struggling with mental health issues need. It is a tremendous step to come out of the strong social image that they’ve been maintaining in the public, and talk about their vulnerabilities and insecurities.