'As men, we didn't talk about it': Dwayne Johnson opens up about battling depression
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dwayne Johnson suffered from depression multiple times in his career and shared an interesting insight from the experience with fans. During an episode of 'The Pivot Podcast,' the star recalled, "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."
"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," he added. The ‘San Andreas’ star talked about how athletes usually deal with the situation when they feel low, "I wasn't going to any of the team meetings, wasn't participating in anything, wasn't working out. And you know for us, as athletes, just any kind of sweat and getting it in will get that s*** out of you. I couldn't do it because of my shoulder," the former WWE wrestler said.
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'As men, we didn't talk about it'
Johnson also shared a part of the interview on his social media account and wrote, "I've worked hard over the years to gain the emotional tools to work through any mental pain that may come to test me. But years ago I didn't know what mental health struggle was." He expressed his concern for fellow men by saying, "As men, we didn't talk about it. We just kept our heads down and worked through it. Not healthy but it's all we knew. If you're going through your own version of mental wellness turning into mental hell-ness, the most important thing you can do is talk to somebody," Johnson added.
'I lost two friends to suicide'
"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," read the long post. "I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you're not alone. You're not the first to go through it," reports People.