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Ashley Tisdale’s career has come a long way from her starring role in High School Musical, but when she opened up about the inspiration behind her new album at a Create & Cultivate conference in Chicago on Saturday, she had a message for the crowd that harkened back to her HSM days. When it comes to dealing with anxiety, Ashley said , “we’re all in this together”.
Symptoms, scheduled for release this fall, will be Tisdale’s first album since 2009. Since then she’s been busy producing and acting in movies and TV shows like Scary Movie 5 and Young & Hungry. And, as she told Create & Cultivate founder and CEO Jaclyn Johnson on Saturday, she’s also been on a journey to figure out her mental health.
“But kind of the inspiration behind [the album] was, I deal with anxiety, and I've dealt with it probably my whole life,” Ashley said. “But [I] became super aware of it over the last two years.”
Ashley said this was the first time she’s let the world know what her upcoming album is truly about. Though baring her soul may have put Ashley in a vulnerable place, it’s definitely an important topic. With this album, she hopes to do her part to help people who have struggled with their own mental health.
“If someone at home can turn it on and not feel so alone, that's all I can do,” she said. “So I'm pretty excited about it.”
Anxiety is the most common form of mental distress in the U.S., according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, affecting about 18% of the population. Ashley is spot on when she says it’s a topic that merits more discussion.
“I think it's just one of those things where we need to talk more about it. Especially because the depression word is a big one. Now we're really comfortable talking about anxiety, but I've kind of always been on a journey of looking at self help books. I've never taken anything, but I definitely have had moments where it's like, more kind of in that mood," she said. "So I just feel like, we need to take the stigma out of that, and just talk to each other about it, and be okay, and know that you're not alone.”
Related: Lea Michele Celebrated Her Engagement With Friends Emma Roberts, Ashley Tisdale, and Hilary Duff
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