In an age when our perception of the world is so often viewed through a heavily filtered lens, it can be tough to keep a cultivate a positive self-image. But despite the heavily-filtered images and aspirational messages we consume on our social media feeds, more and more celebrities are taking steps to break through the illusion of perfection and present a more nuanced reality.

One star leading the way when it comes to disrupting the narrative is Camila Cabello. The singer is no stranger to speaking out about her struggles with mental health, and in a candid note to her followers last month, she opened up about her experiences with anxiety, and the ways she’s learned to cope with being “incredibly nervous” and “socially anxious.”

This time around the Señorita singer is continuing her mental health conversation by sharing the coping mechanism she turns to when she’s feeling overwhelmed: breathing exercises.

Taking to Instagram, the singer posted a long note to her followers acknowledging that she has the power to influence positive change in people’s lives through her social media platform, even if in “small ways.”

“To anyone on here who is struggling, which we all do sometimes cause we’re human!!! I super recommend taking five minutes out of your day to just breathe,” Cabello began, alongside a photo of herself relaxing in a bar.

The singer went on to explain that although she never used to pay attention to the practice of meditation, and in particular the concept “noticing your breath”, the self-help technique has improved the quality of her life since she started taking time out of the day for herself. 

“I’ve been doing this lately and it’s helped me so much, I didn’t understand meditation before, or the concept of just noticing your breath, but I’ve been doing it the past few months and I can feel the quality of my life improving,” she explained.

“I used to live so much in my head, constantly trapped in my overthinking and being in my head as opposed to the present moment - and lately just going back to my breath and focusing on it puts me back in my body and back in the present and helps me so much.

Cabello, who is set to perform Señorita with Shawn Mendes for the first time at the MTV VMAs tomorrow night, then advised taking up a breathing exercise “whenever you feel yourself getting overwhelmed” in your day-to-day life, taking time to concentrate on the sensation. 

“Inhale for five seconds through your nose, and exhale for five seconds through your mouth - and super focus on your breath and how it feels coming in and out of your nostrils. Do it three times a day and whenever you feel yourself getting overwhelmed,” she continued.

The singer empathised with her followers and acknowledged that learning how to cope with life could frequently be “intense and hard”, which is why she wanted to share the mental health coping mechanism.

I think some tools are really life changing and help you know how to do that better, so I just thought i’d share something that’s really helped me,” the singer added.

Cabello’s honesty reminds us that everyone faces their own challenges in life, even the celebrities whose seemingly perfect lives we admire on our feeds. But by embracing an open conversation around mental health, we can break down shame and stigma, and find ways to lead a more authentic life. 

Image: Getty

Useful Resources

If you’re suffering from anxiety or depression, you can call the Samaritans’ confidential 24-hour helpline on 08457 90 90 90 or contact these organisations:

• Anxiety UK
• Mind
• NHS Choices
• Supportline