Zendaya Opens Up About Her Anxiety And Seeking Therapy

Years ago, Zendaya revealed in her app that singing live gave her extreme anxiety. She wrote, “I used to struggle with anxiety pretty bad. It only happened when I sang live, not when I danced or did any other live performances, and it stemmed from a bad experience I had while singing on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' in 2013.”

The Disney alum and Dune actress recalled that her mic malfunctioned as she sang. “It wasn't my best performance and I've never let myself live that down. I had mad anxiety ever since that,” she continued.

Zendaya dealt with the stress by keeping her distance from what was causing it. She stepped away from live performances for the moment and focused instead on other things, like acting. “And I took my time and slowly built my confidence back up before I went back out on stage to sing live,” she continued.

When she performed “Let Me Love You” live with Mario on ABC’s Greatest Hits in 2016, she said it was “still a little nerve wracking, but it was cool. Sometimes you just have to take a step back so things stop stressin' you.”

In an interview with Vogue in 2021, Zendaya opened up about seeing a therapist. “Yeah, of course I go to therapy,” she said, adding that she would recommend it to anyone who had “the financial means.”

She needed it especially during the pandemic, when she had her “first kind of taste of sadness where you wake up and you just feel bad all day.” The star described the feeling as “this dark cloud that’s hovering over me and I don’t know how to get rid of it…”

Still speaking about therapy, she said, “I think it’s a beautiful thing. You know, there’s nothing wrong with working on yourself and dealing with those things with someone who can help you, someone who can talk to you, who’s not your mom or whatever. Who has no bias.”