Sara Bareilles Gets Candid About Her Mental Health: 'I Finally Got the Help of Some Medication'

The Grammy winner talked about her "very low year" on Instagram, adding that she is now "relieved and feels more like myself"

sara bareilles sara bareilles
Sara Bareilles. Photo: GEtty

Sara Bareilles is opening up about her recent struggles with mental health.

The "Brave" singer, 42, posted a gallery of images and video to her Instagram on Monday, in which she recapped her New Year's festivities that included a trip to Finland where she saw the Northern Lights, went snowmobiling and did a frozen polar bear plunge with friends.

In the caption, Bareilles talked about being grateful for her experience, and touched upon her mental health journey over the past year.

"It has been a very low year for me with regard to my mental health, and I am also grateful that part of the reason I can touch my joy again is I finally got the help of some medication," she wrote.

"It's been a journey to try and pull up, and I found this year I needed more help. It is helping. I am relieved and feel more like myself- and I will find my way again and now it feels possible."

"If you're struggling- I see you, and I hope you remember you're not stuck as long as you're willing to change the view. Begin Again," the Waitress songwriter concluded, adding the hashtag #happynewyear.

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In June, the musician got candid with PEOPLE about how getting back on screen in the Peacock series Girls5Eva brought her longtime body image issues to the surface.

"With Girls5eva, I have to be in front of the camera again and have to get dressed and get hair done," she said. "It brings up a lot of stuff for me. I have been someone who's struggled with body image issues my whole life, and I've struggled with feelings of being self-conscious as I've gotten older."

Still, she said she's "trying to embrace that my body doesn't do what it used to."

"Ultimately, whether one pair of jeans fits or not, I can still enjoy the world and the people I love," Bareilles added. "There's so much to celebrate, so I try to be gentle."

The singer-songwriter — who released her new live album Amidst the Chaos: Live at the Hollywood Bowl this year — also said she meditates "for at least 15 or 20 minutes" every morning, which she said has helped her with her mental well-being.

"With meditation I find everything about my life improves: my health, my sleep, my habits, my emotional state and my energy," she noted. "It's all better when I'm meditating. I really feel the benefits."

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Just ahead of the new year, she posted to Instagram about her meditation journey and commitment.

"One year. Every day. Sitting with myself to get closer to something true and honest and patient and always moving," she wrote.

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