Katy Perry Reveals Her Secrets For Dealing With Anxiety & Negativity

Since rising to stardom more than a decade ago, Katy Perry has faced her fair share of challenges, including a public divorce, a famous celebrity feud, and general public scrutiny. To prioritize her mental health after all these years in the spotlight, the singer utilizes meditation, therapy, and other methods to help deal with negativity. 

During an American Idol event, Katy Perry told reporters, "I believe in therapy, I believe in meditation, I believe in self-care, I believe in taking stillness of my time." 

This is not the first time the 35-year-old singer has advocated for the benefits of meditation. Specifically, transcendental meditation (TM), a silent mantra meditation that helps manage anxious thoughts and stress. 

In a 2017 interview with Vogue, she credited her 20-minute daily practices as her secret to maintaining energy. "It's a game-changer," she told the magazine. "I will feel neuro pathways open, a halo of lights. And I'm so much sharper. I just fire up!"

Though she was introduced to the practice more than six years ago by ex-husband Russell Brand, the celebrity believes being still and turning inward is more important now than ever. "Now versus ten years ago," Perry said at the Idol event, "you have to be mentally prepared" to receive negative feedback because of social media. Though quieting the voices of internet critics is impossible, it is possible to make your own voice louder. 

"Something someone told me that changed my life," Perry said, is "nobody can ever make you believe something about yourself that you don't already believe." Meaning, if someone makes you feel unloved or unworthy, perhaps you've already considered those messages to be true. If you let it affect you, "get to the bottom of that," she said. 

Along with meditating, the singer said surrounding herself with a support system is imperative. "Create a team of people that play both devil's advocate and that are also supportive," she said. Which makes sense, considering a good support system has been proven to help people recover from anxiousness.