COVID – and the surrounding social distancing and lockdown – has challenged many of us mentally, as we deal with uncertainty, fear, and isolation.

Chris Rock recently revealed during an interview with Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning, that he’s even decided to attend seven hours of therapy a week this year.

Facing uncomfortable truths

“You have to tell the truth,” he told King.

“You have to tell – you have to go into therapy prepared to tell the worst part of yourself every week, you know?”

Chris Rock

Therapy is a great opportunity to take a moment to look inward and really see how you are doing and what you are feeling, in the face of so much turmoil around you.

“I learned that I could be very hard on myself,” he told King. “Like really, really hard on myself, and I need to relax. And I need to listen, I need to take chances.”

Getting vulnerable

Rock has been very honest with his personal struggles, even revealing this year that he had been diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD), which means he has issues interpreting nonverbal signals in social situations.

And all I understand are the words,” meaning he understanding things literally, which is great for his comedy but not so much for his relationships.

“I thought I was actually dealing with it, and the reality is I never dealt with it,” said the comedian in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “The reality was the pain and the fear that that brought me, I was experiencing it every day.”

Never be ashamed of asking for help

When celebrities talk about their own struggles with mental health, they help break the stigma surrounding issues so many people struggle with in silence.

Never feel ashamed taking the time to look inward and understanding what you need to be a healthier version of you. That might include asking for help, and opening up.

But during such trying times, if you have access to support, it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself and those around you.

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