Pete Townshend has shared his personal struggles to maintain mental health.
During a recent conversation with The Sunday Times, the Who rocker admitted he suffered from “chemical depression.” As a result, he finds his mind going to dark places on a daily basis.
“When I first wake up I’m suicidal, actually suicidal,” Townshend confessed, adding that waking up extra early — between 2 and 5AM — helps slightly, as he’s “still in the state that I was the day before”.
Most mornings it takes the musician about 30 minutes to climb out of his dark mindset. Townshend further revealed that having a morning routine and regularly journaling has helped him immensely.
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“I have a couple of cups of tea, two digestive biscuits — apparently equal to 17 sugar lumps — and I feel happy,” he explained. “If I start my journals before I have my cup of tea, I’ll paint a very bleak picture of my life. Despite the fact that I have everything that I want and everything that I need … And I have had a really extraordinary life.”
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At one point, Townshend tried therapy, but he found the experience unfulfilling.
“After the third year, I realized that the woman counseling me had only said about three words. I was just listening to myself,” the rocker noted. “So now I just write journals. Every morning I rebuild myself in a sense with tea and coffee, and a few vitamin pills.”
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Despite his experience, Townshend recognizes that therapy helps many people with their struggles. He also noted that it was not his place to tell people how to manage their own well being.
“I think because of social media in particular, the way that we carelessly share not only our anxieties but also perhaps our solutions,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer explained. “We’re a bit careless about that because what works for me won’t necessarily work for you.”
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
