Being a Britney fan negatively impacts my mental health

[Lost In Space]

This might seem like a strange topic, but I don’t feel like I’m alone here.

By no fault of her own, it is mentally and emotionally draining being a Britney fan. She is a person I have never met, but she is someone I deeply care for her. I genuinely love Britney as a person. Not in a psycho stan way, but as a person I have admired and looked up to since I was 9 years old. I have cried over her situation, felt genuine emotional distress and mental anguish for what she’s been put through. I feel depressed and anxious the majority of the time when I think of her, which is a lot. There is still the joy she brings through her music and stage performances, etc, but it’s all overshadowed by the evil that has been done to her. I think about her many, many times throughout the day and check multiple times per day for updates on her current situation. 

Sometimes I have contemplated unfollowing any Britney account I follow and not checking forums like this anymore because it’s too much. Obviously if anything major happened, I would hear about it somewhere in the mainstream news, but I do feel like it would be better for my wellbeing to not follow her so closely anymore

Do any of you have similar feelings?

[mannequinn]

i feel bad for her yea but i don’t care to THAT extent 

what ur doing is pretty unhealthy

[jordeezy river red]

It is stressful but I take it all as a learning experience. I think we all feel this way to an extent because she has touched our hearts so much. She is one of us. She will be okay in the end. Look how much awareness she has brought to the conservatorship issue! Keep rooting for her and take a break if you need to. 

[Gordon]

If anything, I have the opposite feeling. She brings some positivity and inspiration in my life as a fighter, someone that really gets through their struggles. 

 

[MysticWomaney]

I’m really sorry you’re feeling that way genuinely would want to suggest being more introspective is it something that is setting off your own personal anxieties?

I can’t speak for tou but for me I’m endlessly excited each day is finally something good no more threads about hairney and how often she touches her hair in a Vegas show.

britney is speaking for herself it’s uncertain what will happen but she’s free and able to talk and if that worries you I hope you’re okay and I am glad you found your voice to say it here and I hope you are able to have the same confidence in your own life. If not DM me I’m here but don’t stress Britney is finally doing good whatever happens we are there to support her but don’t let it ruin you you are more important remember that always care about you first Britney is only just doing that herself don’t feel scared for her or yourself I beg x

[SlayOut]

It doesn’t happen for me to the extent you described, but I understand what you mean. But like @Gordon said above, Britney is a fighter and a survivor, which serves as an inspiration in itself.

If it bothers you so much, maybe you should be more selective about when to engage with Britney news. For me, Exhale is a great place to share my concerns or thoughts about Britney’s situation, but sometimes it gets to be a lot (mainly balancing other peoples thoughts and opinions).

So yeah… maybe identify ways to cut down on the constant stream of news and care for yourself how you see fit! Exhale and Britney’s accounts/fan pages will always be there (unless shut down by Team Con ) so we’ll be here when/if you’re ready to return haha

[Lost In Space]

Also to clarify, I don’t spend all day and night thinking about Britney, but I think another reason I feel the way I do towards what she’s been through, is because I can unfortunately relate. I’m obviously not famous and have not dealt with the pressures she has on her level, but there is definitely parallels between her life and mine. Especially family wise and the level of control, whilst simultaneously not being cared for at all. 

[DollyParton]

Thats not healthy gurl 

[Lost In Space]

2 minutes ago, MysticWomaney said:

I’m really sorry you’re feeling that way genuinely would want to suggest being more introspective is it something that is setting off your own personal anxieties?

I can’t speak for tou but for me I’m endlessly excited each day is finally something good no more threads about hairney and how often she touches her hair in a Vegas show.

britney is speaking for herself it’s uncertain what will happen but she’s free and able to talk and if that worries you I hope you’re okay and I am glad you found your voice to say it here and I hope you are able to have the same confidence in your own life. If not DM me I’m here but don’t stress Britney is finally doing good whatever happens we are there to support her but don’t let it ruin you you are more important remember that always care about you first Britney is only just doing that herself don’t feel scared for her or yourself I beg x

Thank you. That’s a really sweet response. 

I do think her situation does trigger things that have happened to me in my own life, so I think that’s part of the reason too. 

[Watch Me Work It]

honestly take a break if you need to! this situation IS stressing, and now that we're getting more and more info every day, even more so. we all love her very much, I relate to what you wrote because every time something new comes out and we understand the depth of the abuse she endured these past few years, I also get very sad. But remember, she's in the road to freedom now! Take a break for a few days or weeks and come back when you are ready

 

[Corruptured Colon]

I totally understand how you feel. For me, though, Britney has filled the void for an even more toxic fandom - Hanson (Yes, Mmmbop Hanson. Go ahead and laugh. I'm used to it, and it doesn't bother me!)

For 2/3rds of my life, I've been a hardcore stan of 3 artists/groups: NSYNC, Britney, and Hanson. Nothing can or will ever replace them because they've been so deeply ingrained in my life for so long.

Hanson was especially close to my heart because they toured fairly often, so I usually had a concert to look forward to. But last summer, that all changed. I'll spare you the details because it's not Britney-related, but one member's Pinterest leaked (and was confirmed his) with tons of racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and generally bigoted content. Then they became COVID deniers and held multiple in-person concerts in their hometown, when COVID was at an all-time high and the hospitals in town had no beds available. Fans flew in for these shows from all over the country, and at least one person tested positive after attending. All this time, I'd been waiting for them to apologize. To do better. But they never did, and it killed me. It still kills me today. My 2020 was made so much worse because of them. I never thought I'd stop being a Hanson fan, but my morals are more important than my selfish desire to go to their shows. At this point, I probably wouldn't enjoy them anyway.

Recently, though, I've been able to shift my focus away from urging Hanson to become better people (a pointless battle) and instead focus on supporting Britney. For me, this has been an incredibly positive shift because I see the difference we're making. I've supported the movement for a while now by wearing Free Britney shirts and talking to non-fans about her c-ship, but her recent court dates pulled me into the deep end, and now I'm fully immersed.

So, yeah. I can completely understand how something like this can become consuming and take a toll on a person's mental health. Heck, I'm probably too consumed by her case myself. 

Anyway, you're not alone. I hope you take time for self-care. And don't feel bad about stepping away. 

[argentinian.in.telaviv]

I checked BH a lot, and watch videos about the CS developments. I could watch less and it does trigger my anxieties sometimes. I do therapy though ;)

[Lost In Space]

4 minutes ago, SlayOut said:

It doesn’t happen for me to the extent you described, but I understand what you mean. But like @Gordon said above, Britney is a fighter and a survivor, which serves as an inspiration in itself.

If it bothers you so much, maybe you should be more selective about when to engage with Britney news. For me, Exhale is a great place to share my concerns or thoughts about Britney’s situation, but sometimes it gets to be a lot (mainly balancing other peoples thoughts and opinions).

So yeah… maybe identify ways to cut down on the constant stream of news and care for yourself how you see fit! Exhale and Britney’s accounts/fan pages will always be there (unless shut down by Team Con ) so we’ll be here when/if you’re ready to return haha

 

1 minute ago, Watch Me Work It said:

honestly take a break if you need to! this situation IS stressing, and now that we're getting more and more info every day, even more so. we all love her very much, I relate to what you wrote because every time something new comes out and we understand the depth of the abuse she endured these past few years, I also get very sad. But remember, she's in the road to freedom now! Take a break for a few days or weeks and come back when you are ready

 

Thank you. Most of you are really sweet 

[Lost In Space]

1 minute ago, PinkyAndStinky said:

I totally understand how you feel. For me, though, Britney has filled the void for an even more toxic fandom - Hanson (Yes, Mmmbop Hanson. Go ahead and laugh. I'm used to it, and it doesn't bother me!)

For 2/3rds of my life, I've been a hardcore stan of 3 artists/groups: NSYNC, Britney, and Hanson. Nothing can or will ever replace them because they've been so deeply ingrained in my life for so long.

Hanson was especially close to my heart because they toured fairly often, so I usually had a concert to look forward to. But last summer, that all changed. I'll spare you the details because it's not Britney-related, but one member's Pinterest leaked (and was confirmed his) with tons of racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and generally bigoted content. Then they became COVID deniers and held multiple in-person concerts in their hometown, when COVID was at an all-time high and the hospitals in town had no beds available. Fans flew in for these shows from all over the country, and at least one person tested positive after attending. All this time, I'd been waiting for them to apologize. To do better. But they never did, and it killed me. It still kills me today. My 2020 was made so much worse because of them.

Recently, though, I've been able to shift my focus away from urging Hanson to become better people (a pointless battle) and instead focus on supporting Britney. For me, this has been an incredibly positive shift because I see the difference we're making. I've supported the movement for a while now by wearing Free Britney shirts and talking to non-fans about her c-ship, but her recent court dates pulled me into the deep end, and now I'm fully immersed.

So, yeah. I can completely understand how something like this can become consuming and take a toll on a person's mental health. Heck, I'm probably too consumed by her case myself. 

Anyway, you're not alone. I hope you take time for self-care. And don't feel bad about stepping away. 

 

I used to LOVE Hanson when I was really little. I haven’t followed them much throughout the years but I did see them live a couple of years back.

That’s really horrifying and disappointing to hear about their behaviour during the pandemic and the posts a member of the band made. It always sucks when people you look up to turn out to be not the type of people you thought they were. 

Thank you for understanding and relating to what I said. It can take quite the toll when something major is happening to an artist or band that’s been an integral part of your life. 

[PokemonSpears]

I do get you, even if I don't feel that affected, to the extreme you mention. But of course I think about her everyday, and I do care about what happens to her, I bet most of us in here do.

It hasn't been easy being a fan of hers in the past decade in general. Even before we knew the details, as a fan it was always disappointment after disappointment, and not because of her, but how her team always managed stuff related to her career, from singles to promo, etc. 

Sometimes I wonder what even was their intention, because if they were really trying to exploit her for the money, they could've done so much more to pander to the fans and make the most money out of it, with more singles, more videos, more deluxe packages, etc. But they didn't, again, they've been very disappointing most of the time, so it seems like their only purpose of being so controlling over Britney was just the pleasure of seeing her suffer.

I do want this to end as soon as possible for her, but I know she's strong. Tbh, she's been able to survive all of this, she can overcome anything at this point. So as other people do, what I feel when I think of her is hope, is inspiration, and of course I don't forget the situation isn't over yet, so of course it makes me angry she has to spend even one more day in this conservatorship, but thankfully everything is falling into place and justice will soon be served, and she'll be free and happy. 

[Alio]

it's not a weird topic, it's nice to express yourself.

Truth is it has only been complicated for me when I've seen her in person !! 

I saw her in flesh (like front row at her show or outside hotels) like 7 times and it was very hard each time because, I don't know if it only happens me but, when you admire someone so much and you have been busy reading this forum 50 times a day for the past 16 years or something it's very confusing to realize she's just a random human ! 

It's like you think she's God but then you seen her right in front of you and  you're like WOOW but then you wonder "why am I wasting my time and life analysing every detail of a .....person ?!"

It's the only moments I fell kinda weird about being a Britney fan.

It happened to me each time, I don't know if it happened to some of you guys aswell ???  

[Jordan Miller]

100% feel you. The weight of BreatheHeavy has been really heavy on me personally (which is of course in-tandem with Britney's situation). Doing a lot of interviews lately and speaking about this ****ed up situation has kinda messed with my head, too. Some times I want to take a break too but how? And now? It's not a good time to. For me right now it's about finding balance. Plus, there's some stuff going on behind-the-scenes with BH that I don't want to open up about yet; it has put me in a weird place emotionally. I hired a life coach recently to help me stay looking ahead while I sort through some of it. Mental health is the MOST important thing. You're not alone  @Lost In Space. We're not crazy fans, we're empathetic for someone who has been wronged. 

[thebritmaster]

She’s on the right path! Stay optimistic!

[Anti-Hero]

When I’m stressed about something, I try to find things to do that I enjoy to take my mind off things. Whether it’s a hobby or just watching something on tv.

[MysticWomaney]

21 minutes ago, Lost In Space said:

Thank you. That’s a really sweet response. 

I do think her situation does trigger things that have happened to me in my own life, so I think that’s part of the reason too. 

I dm’d you lovely 

I’m here to listen 

exhale has been here for me at my darkest points too and people reached out to me then. 
the new mass surge of people can make that daunting but we’re all still here