5 times BTS members led mental health awareness campaigns with empowering messages (2024)

Mumbai,UPDATED: Oct 10, 2022 13:40 IST

BTS, or as OT7 fans call them in their native Korean, Bangtan Sonyeondan, is an extension of their onscreen persona. The seven-piece act enthralls you with their dance and music and comforts you with their words. After making their debut in 2013, members RM, Suga, Jin, Jimin, J-hope, Jungkook, and V have constantly touched people with their words of positivity and self-reflection. Many wonder what makes the group the phenomenon that it is today. Perhaps it is their ability to transcend barriers and break away from being an 'idol' only. They speak to ARMY (fans) as their own, as if it is their journal where they pour in their deepest thoughts, sometimes healing each other in the process.

Through their lyrics and their words, BTS has tried to spread mental health awareness using their personal experience as well. It is no secret that member Suga, who is also one of the key producers and writers for the group apart from being a rapper, shared her personal struggle battling depression. In moments, RM, J-hope, Jin, Jungkook, Jimin and V too have spoken about feeling empty. On World Mental Health Day, here are five mental health lessons from BTS that are paramount in daily life.

SUGA ON SEEKING HELP

Suga, in an interview with Rolling Stone, stressed that it is essential to take care of your mind as much as you with your physical body. He said, “People’s conditions vary day by day. Sometimes you’re in good condition; sometimes you aren’t. Based on that, you get an idea of your physical health. That same thing applies mentally. Some days you’re in a good state; sometimes you’re not. Many pretend to be okay, saying that they’re not ‘weak,’ as if that would make them a weak person. I don’t think that’s right. People won’t say you’re a weak person if your physical condition is not that good. It should be the same for the mental condition as well. Society should be more understanding.”

"We feel that people who have the platform to talk about those things really should talk more, because they say depression is something where you go to the hospital and you’re diagnosed, but you can’t really know until the doctor talks to you.”

JIN ON REST PERIOD

Jin stressed that one should not have to earn their rest period but should rather let themselves loose without feeling any pressure to be productive. "The meaning of the word ‘rest’ seems to have changed. I think that resting should be entirely selfish. However, a lot of people try to do something useful in their free time, like something that will help them pad out their résumé. But I believe that uselessness is useful! I believe that you need to have days that other people consider wasteful, to be able to focus more on useful things later," he said during an interview.

JIMIN ON HIS COPING MECHANISM TO DEAL WITH BAD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

Jimin, in an interview, mentioned that exercise and, more so, running helps him deal with mental health in a better way. “I started running, and at first I felt like I was dying after 2.5km. But now I can run as far as 8km. The reason I got into running was that the sound of the breeze silenced my inner voice. I used to hate being alone because there were too many thoughts going around in my head, and it scared me, but now I feel I need time alone. Running helps clear my mind.”

CHANNELING THROUGH ART

V spoke about how he deals with a bad mental health day by challenging his pain with art. The outcome doesn't matter as long as it helps him release his emotions. “When something eats away at me, I focus on it and try to conquer it. For example, if I’m overwhelmed by some emotion, I write a song about it. When the song is done, whether it’s a good song or not, the sense of achievement helps get rid of any pain or suffering I’m going through.”

SELF-AWARENESS AND ACCEPTANCE

Leader RM has spoken about dealing with the pressure of being at the top is something he has been going through as well. Opening up on it, he once shared, “I often struggle as well. The expectations people have of me, and the pressure I put on myself, are too great. I imagine even if I work in a completely different field in the future, people will still expect me to accomplish something, and I might not be able to meet those expectations. I think I’m still going through the stage of creating a rough draft."

Recently, during the Festa dinner, the members also discussed how the past six months were heavy for them and they had been musing about their role as artists. Members have at times opened up and shared with their global fans that they had been struggling and that it was okay to open up about it.