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The Mental Musician

I write about my experiences with depression and life in music so you never have to feel alone in your struggles. Join 450+ musicians who are opening up about their mental health and and help build a world where we no longer hide our pain.

Written by

Brian Zhang

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Featured Posts

Stories

How I Learnt To Be Okay With Not Being Okay

Sep 11, 2024

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9 min read

How I Learnt To Be Okay With Not Being Okay

Lessons I Learned After My First Panic Attack

Brian Zhang

Growth Mindset

Sometimes You Have to Stop the Music to Take Care of Your Health

Mar 26, 2025

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7 min read

Sometimes You Have to Stop the Music to Take Care of Your Health

I’ve learned that sometimes, walking away from your dream is the only way to survive

Brian Zhang

Stories

Returning into the Light: How depression stole my love for life

Jun 20, 2024

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6 min read

Returning into the Light: How depression stole my love for life

How I found my reason to stay alive

Brian Zhang

Stories

The panic attack that nearly ended my music career

Jul 15, 2025

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7 min read

The panic attack that nearly ended my music career

If burnout, pressure, or anxiety have stolen your joy for music, this one is for you.

Brian Zhang

Latest Posts

Mental Health Support

Jan 24, 2026

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12 min read

Therapy isn't so scary after all

How changing my approach to therapy saved my mental health...and life

Brian Zhang

Community

The podcast I wanted to create from the beginning

Jan 15, 2026

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7 min read

The podcast I wanted to create from the beginning

And one that helps you not feel alone in your mental health struggles.

Brian Zhang

Stories

Jan 7, 2026

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11 min read

A Love Letter To My Depression

The friend who I never asked for, but don't want to leave completely...

Brian Zhang

Depression

Oct 30, 2025

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12 min read

Four small things that helped me survive depression in 2025

How these small changes helped me embrace my depression and fall in love with music again.

Brian Zhang

Depression

Sep 17, 2025

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9 min read

A Quiet Street, A Guitar, and Me

But even the darkness and silence couldn’t hide what I was searching for.

Brian Zhang

Depression

Aug 12, 2025

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10 min read

The Stigma That’s Killing Musicians

If you think mental health in music isn’t real... well, f*** you. But I’ll keep fighting for the musicians who need it

Brian Zhang

Therapy isn't so scary after all

How changing my approach to therapy saved my mental health...and life

Brian Zhang

Community

Jan 15, 2026

•

7 min read

The podcast I wanted to create from the beginning

And one that helps you not feel alone in your mental health struggles.

Brian Zhang

Stories

Jan 7, 2026

•

11 min read

A Love Letter To My Depression

The friend who I never asked for, but don't want to leave completely...

Brian Zhang

Reflections on Mental Health

What happens when a musician finally lets themselves be vulnerable

Dec 18, 2025

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15 min read

What happens when a musician finally lets themselves be vulnerable

And how it helped me open up about things I wouldn't normally talk about

Brian Zhang

Reflections on Mental Health

This year forced me to slow down and focus on what was really important

Dec 11, 2025

•

12 min read

This year forced me to slow down and focus on what was really important

And why I want to encourage everyone, not just musicians, to be vulnerable about their health, next year and beyond, without feeling ashamed.

Brian Zhang

Stories

Nov 28, 2025

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11 min read

Why You Don’t Need to Be Perfect

And honestly? Being perfect is overrated.

Brian Zhang

Music Education and Support

For artists to have a future, young musicians need to learn mental health skills now

Nov 20, 2025

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14 min read

For artists to have a future, young musicians need to learn mental health skills now

It's been the biggest thing missing in education, but the one that gives them a chance to succeed.

Brian Zhang

Growth Mindset

Nov 7, 2025

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17 min read

Can you really "be yourself?"

How a moment of madness stopped me from trying to copy others and find out who I really am.

Brian Zhang

Growth Mindset

Oct 30, 2025

•

12 min read

Four small things that helped me survive depression in 2025

How these small changes helped me embrace my depression and fall in love with music again.

Brian Zhang

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Featured Posts

How I Learnt To Be Okay With Not Being Okay

Sometimes You Have to Stop the Music to Take Care of Your Health

Returning into the Light: How depression stole my love for life

The panic attack that nearly ended my music career

Latest Posts

Therapy isn't so scary after all

The podcast I wanted to create from the beginning

A Love Letter To My Depression

Depression

Four small things that helped me survive depression in 2025

A Quiet Street, A Guitar, and Me

The Stigma That’s Killing Musicians

Archive

Therapy isn't so scary after all

The podcast I wanted to create from the beginning

A Love Letter To My Depression

What happens when a musician finally lets themselves be vulnerable

This year forced me to slow down and focus on what was really important

Why You Don’t Need to Be Perfect

For artists to have a future, young musicians need to learn mental health skills now

Can you really "be yourself?"

Four small things that helped me survive depression in 2025

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