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mental health

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I thought I knew my pal Nikki Glaser. Then she told me her ‘humiliating’ story about Dave Matthews.

My very famous friend shares some wisdom we could all take to heart.

Permission to use.

Nikki Glaser in a photoshoot.

Comedian, actress, and podcaster Nikki Glaser is a force to be reckoned with. Though she was named in Time Magazine as one of 2025's Most Influential People, her humility never lets it go to her head. She's obviously hilarious, but in a way that pushes boundaries most didn’t even know existed. As a savage roast-master, she somehow simultaneously puts people at ease while she (sweetly) says the dark things we're all thinking.

But it's herself who she roasts the hardest. She's unique and thoughtful with her approach to joke-writing, but is also not afraid to dig deep with the constant effort to better her life. She never shies away from getting truly vulnerable, making most people in the room feel like they're her best friend. Luckily, I actually can call Nikki a friend and can wholeheartedly relay that she's the kind of person who walks into a room and electrifies it. She's not only wicked-smart, but she's the kind of girl's girl who shows up, no matter how busy she is. (I recall once complaining about the Los Angeles dating pool and within five minutes, she had set me up on a blind date.) She's as solid as they come and I was thrilled to chat with her for Upworthy about some things I always wanted to know.

Upworthy: If you remember the movie Sliding Doors—if one thing had gone differently for you—what do you think you’d be doing?

Glaser: "I like to think that if my voice teacher in high school hadn’t taken my mom aside after one of our lessons and told her I had a bad voice and would never make it in musical theater, that I would have kept singing. And maybe would have been able to pursue a career in music, (not musical theater, she was probably right about that one). But I think that I just assumed she meant all singing. Now, I’m way too many years into singing improperly. I take voice lessons now, but it’s so hard to undo years of poor singing that I could have avoided if I had never given up."

  - Gwyneth Paltrow, Nikki Glaser, Sliding Doors, podcats  www.youtube.com  

Glaser continues with the message she wishes she had received earlier, and wishes to impart on younger generations:

"In general, I think that if I had just gotten the message at a young age that talent isn’t born, it’s developed, I would have pursued more things that I thought I just didn’t 'have.' I was never someone who was naturally talented. Stand-up was literally the first thing in my entire life that I seemed to have a knack for, so I just kept doing it. I’m glad I did, but after I read the book The Talent Code in my 30s, I really understood that all I really needed to do to be talented at anything I wanted to be was put in the work.

That’s why I always try to tell kids that they can’t give up if they aren’t good at something. You can literally be better than someone who is naturally talented if you just put more hours in than they do, even if they have a huge head start. I never thought of hard work as the best talent of all. I wish that message had been instilled in me more as a kid."

Upworthy: To that point, if you had a "second dream"—anything you wanted to be at all—what would it be?

Glaser: "Besides a singer/songwriter, my true passion would have been to develop a CBD lip gloss line with H&M. JK. I mean, I’m open to it, but in general, I just wish my life’s work involved more animals. Animals are my passion, and traveling as much as I do, I don’t get to bring my dog as much as I’d like. I also would love to get a bird, but I’m never home and you can’t bring them on planes (I haven’t looked into it). That’s the only part of aging and inevitably getting edged out of show business that I’m looking forward to: I’M GONNA GO FULL BIRD LADY."

Upworthy: Is there a joke you've written that you just can't seem to make work?

Glaser: "I have a joke about how fat people are discriminated against, which is a little tricky because I am not fat. And no one wants to hear a skinny person talk about how hard it is to be fat, but at the same time, I notice it and I want fat people to understand that it’s bullshit and I see them. I’m not trying to be a hero or anything. I just know that my body and food issues stem from the way our society treats fat people and I just feel like not enough is being said about it."

  - Nikki Glaser, comedian, Golden Globes, monologue, stand up comedy  www.youtube.com, CBS 

 

Upworthy: Who or what makes you consistently laugh?

Glaser: "As of late… Rachel Feinstein, David Spade, Martin Short as Jiminy Glick, Tim Robinson, and Chris Fleming. I also LOVED Jim Norton’s latest special on YouTube, UNCONCEIVABLE. And I was just texting earlier today with one of my funniest friends, comedian/writer Sean O’Connor, and we both declared that one of the funniest jokes we’ve ever heard was Nick Swardson’s joke: “I took my cat to the veterinarian today because my cat had diarrhea. And the vet was like, ‘What have you been feeding him?’ and I’m like, 'diarrhea.’"

Upworthy: Why is Cecily so amazing? (JK, JK. I mean, unless you really WANT to answer.)

Glaser: You are kind, non-judgmental, hilarious, effervescent, and just one of the best all-time hangs. Not to mention, sexy and cool!

Upworthy: You have been very open about (and I hate the word journey) your "journey" with mental health. Any tips for people struggling with depression? Like if someone could do "one or two things" to help their mental health, what would you advise?

Glaser: "I would first try a free meditation app. That’s what I did when I was broke and was in desperation for any kind of relief from my negative thoughts. It really helped. I would also recommend 12-step programs. There’s one for just about everything (if you don’t have an addiction, look into the requirements to qualify for Al-Anon because that's really a catch-all). The meetings and fellowship are free and you can go on Zoom and just listen if you are scared to share. And no, you don’t have to believe in God to go."

Upworthy: Have you ever met someone else who's famous and completely freaked out?

Glaser: "Yes, I’m quite an obsessive fan of celebrities who I love, and I can never seem to keep my cool when I meet them. I was a Dave Matthews stan in high school and I met him in 2018 and I humiliated myself by saying the word “sphere” a lot. I don’t even know why. It had nothing to do with the Las Vegas Sphere. It was well before that even existed. Thank God I got to meet him a few years later and act relatively normal.

 dave matthews, celebrities, celebrity crush, jam band Dave Matthews sings in his band.   Giphy  

My policy now with these kinds of icons is that I don’t really want to meet them. I just feel like a huge bother when I share how much they mean to me. Unless of course they are new to fame or have faded from the spotlight; then I’m happy to tell them. Like someone like Patrick Schwarzenegger. I ran into him at a party and it was right after the second episode of White Lotus season three, so I knew he wasn’t being hounded yet. I was happy to bother him and gush over how much of an incredible talent he is. As someone who’s not a huge A-lister, I get how much it means when someone tells you they like your work. But someone who is a global pop star doesn’t need me shaking and crying and telling her she saved my life. I don’t want to bother her with my anxiety. She needs to save her energy to write songs, not hug me so I stop convulsing."

Upworthy: No matter how popular you get, is there one thing about you that will never change?

Glaser: "I don’t think people really ever change. I try! I am always holding out hope that I’ll somehow conquer my imposter syndrome and overall low self-esteem. I’m about to start EMDR therapy. We’ll see how that goes! I know that some artists and comedians argue that it serves their work to be depressed or anxious, but I feel like I've already mined all of my insecurities for material in the first two decades of my career. I’d like to change into someone who’s more confident, but don’t we all? I don’t want to ever think that I’m better than anyone else, but I’d like to lose the core belief that I’m worse than others."

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Health

Depressed by the state of the world? Deepak Chopra shares the first step to finding joy again.

The author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success shares his life-changing advice in an exclusive interview with Upworthy.

via Canva/Photos and Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons.

A depressed woman and Deepak Chopra.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to shake the deep-seated sense of dread about where the world is headed. Every day, we are subjected to images of bombs dropping on civilians, massive icebergs falling into the ocean due to climate change, masked men pulling people off the streets for deportation, constant political chaos, and a culture changing so fast due to technology, it’s easy to be overwhelmed.

Added to this is a lingering sense of brokenness that persists from the COVID-19 pandemic era. The result is that in the United States, more people are being diagnosed with depression than ever before. To help our readers break free from the current sense of helplessness, we sat down with Deepak Chopra at Aspen Ideas: Health to hear his thoughts on overcoming depression.

Chopra is a Consciousness Explorer and a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is also a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He told Upworthy that the most common problem people ask him about these days is depression.

 deepak chopra, wisdom, consciousness, deepak chopra wisdom, deepak chopra speech, deepak in the uk Deepak Chopra, author and guru, at the SXSW London festival hosted in London, England during June 2025.via Deepak Chopra/Wikimedia Commons

“It's just people in general right now are stressed, anxious, and depressed. And that's because of all the things that are happening in their environment, social ecosystem, political systems, war, climate change, health,” he told Upworthy. He notes that although tough times aren’t new, modern stress seems to take a deeper toll.

“Because we have modern capacities for war, drones, nuclear weapons, cyber warfare. And for the first time, I think we are risking extinction. [Instability] has been happening since Medieval times. But Medieval tribal bonds and modern technology is a dangerous combination. So it's much worse than it's ever been,” he said.

What's the first step to overcoming depression, according to Deepak Chopra?

 depression, saddness, sad man, depressed man, mental health A man holding his head in his hands.via Canva/Photos

Chopra says that those who are experiencing depression or are just feeling down should ground themselves in their “essential being” (more on that later). But, more practically, they should spend time with people who lift them up. “Hang out with people who are joyful with only one purpose: to create joy in the world. Create joy for yourself. Hang out with joyful people and help create joy in the world,” he told Upworthy. “Joy is the only antidote for suffering. And joy is our fundamental state of being. It's not the same thing as happiness, which is the opposite of sadness. Joy is what you see in an innocent child that is happy for no reason whatsoever. It's our fundamental state of being before we get bamboozled by the hypnosis of social conditioning.”

To find out what Chopra means by being “grounded in your essential being,” we consulted his digital twin at DigitalDeepak.AI. Chopra has created an AI that encapsulates all of his teachings throughout his illustrious career, allowing everyone to access his wisdom at any time.


The concept of essential being, according to Digital Deepak:

Being grounded in your essential being is about connecting with the deepest part of yourself—the true self that exists beyond the fluctuations of the mind and the distractions of daily life. It is about recognizing that, at your core, you are pure consciousness —a field of infinite possibilities and potential.

When you are grounded in this essential state, you experience a profound sense of peace and stability. You become anchored in a state of awareness that transcends the temporary and ever-changing nature of the external world. This grounding allows you to navigate life's challenges with a sense of ease and fearlessness, as you are deeply connected to the eternal power within you.


Sometimes, we can become so overwhelmed by world events that it's easy to overlook the basic things we need to be happy and healthy. That's why Chopra's belief in the importance of maintaining positive social relationships with others, especially during stressful times, is crucial to our mental well-being. If you are feeling down, it's essential to get out and spend time with positive, uplifting people. But it's also crucial to get help from a trained mental health professional.

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Fatherhood

Dad with postpartum depression took his baby on a walk. It started a mental health movement.

"Because fatherhood is better together."

Canva

A dad takes his child on a stroller ride.

Kalvin Bridgewater couldn't quite put his finger on why he felt so off after his newborn daughter arrived. Sure, he was exhausted—babies can cause that. His wife was suffering with crying jags and anxiety, which, as a society, we often pinpoint as postpartum depression. They sought help for her, but Kalvin's mental health continued to decline.

He shares on his website, "I didn't even notice how much I was changing myself. My health was declining and my weight went from 200 to 265 from stress eating—food became my only comfort from what I now know was postpartum depression."

The National Library of Medicine reports that postpartum depression in men can occur soon after a child is born. "It is frequently reported in mothers but can also occur in fathers. There are no established criteria for PPD in men, although it could present over the course of a year, with symptoms of irritability, restricted emotions, and depression."

Bridgewater shares that one day he took their baby for a walk in a stroller. He was joined by about four other dads who would also take their babies for walks together. They started calling themselves the Daddy Stroller Social Club. "This grew to 75 to 100 dads coming out to these events," he shares on a TikTok video that's chyron reads, "These dads turned stroller walks into a powerful support group."

We see the words "Because fatherhood is better together," as Bridgewater continues: "We just started bonding, socializing and creating a community for dads. If we're able to share the knowledge that we receive and get the extra tools. That wasn't passed down to us. To not just be a better father—be a better husband, somebody better in the community."

Daddy Stroller Social Club (DSSC), their website makes clear, "was born out of a need for community. The vision was inspired by Eve Akins, a Dallas doula and her community of young mothers that get together on the weekends and uplift each other."

The key for DSSC is not only to bond with one another and to be better fathers and partners, but also to spread the word about this rather common mental affliction. "We are committed to de-stigmatizing paternal postpartum depression through community-building, advocacy, outreach, and storytelling. By amplifying the voices of fathers and promoting early intervention, we aim to create a space where fathers and father-figures can access communal support, education, and the wellness services they need in order to be functioning caretakers of their family unit."

The TikTok and Instagram comments—of which there are many—are incredibly supportive. One person writes, "This movement is powerful and priceless."

On an Instagram reel where the DSSC writes "Propaganda we're not falling for:" they list, in part, "Boys will be boys. Toxic masculinity. Gender roles. Rest equals laziness." A commenter writes, "This is great that you all are dismantling the myths, men go through their own postpartum journey! A lot of my clients are males going through difficulty adjusting to this new phase of life. Let’s continue to normalize this."

And one of the most exciting parts? What began in Dallas/Ft. Worth has now spread to chapters around the country. They're called "strides," and they are rolling out quickly—from Atlanta to Los Angeles to Philly and more.

It's concrete proof that just taking that (literal) first step can make positive change, not just for one person, but for an entire community.

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Community

Embarrassed employee leaves work after a panic attack. Their boss's response was perfect.

"People may have lied to you."

via Canva/Photos

A woman having a panic attack at work.

Imagine being someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, and having to leave work because you had a panic attack. On top of the incredible suffering that comes with a panic attack, you have to return to work and confront the fact that you had to leave your job because of mental distress.

Panic attacks can have a range of psychological and physical symptoms, including trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea, a racing heart, and feelings of impending doom. So, it's understandable that someone would have to leave their job if they were experiencing one. Of course, there should be no shame in suffering a panic attack, but far too many people are looking to judge those who suffer from them and those who suffer often feel shame and embarrassment when they happen. That’s why the following story is so beautiful.

 anxiety attack, panic attack, work, distressed woman, stressed woman, mental illness A woman suffering from anxiety.via Canva/Photos

A person on Reddit shared an incredibly kind note that their partner received from their boss after leaving work due to a panic attack. “My partner, who has major anxiety and depressive disorders, had a panic attack at work last week, was super embarrassed, and had to leave early. They got this card from their boss a few days later,” they wrote on the MadeMeSmile forum. “It made me cry a little, honestly. I'm so thankful that they have such an understanding employer.”

They also shared a picture of the card.

[OC] My partner, who has major anxiety and depressive disorders, had a panic attack at work last week, was super embarrassed, and had to leave early. They got this card from their boss a few days later.
byu/GI-Robots-Alt inMadeMeSmile


Here’s what the card said:

Dear [redacted],

Thank you for being you. Thank you for sharing your art, your kindness, your joy & your light with everyone you interact with.

I wanted to remind you of your incredible strength. You show up, you do your best every day & it shows. You are appreciated by so many people. I see you [deleted] and I know the world can seem like a chaotic & scary place but keep remembering who you are! People may have lied to you & you may have believed them when they told you these lies — but the truth is you are STRONG. You are beautiful. You are POWERFUL. You are WORTHY. You are kind, smart, funny, focused, hardworking, incredibly talented & a light in this world. Don't let anyone make you forget. The world needs what you have to offer.

Love,

[Redacted]

Commenters on Reddit thought the card was incredible and that the world would be a better place if everyone had a boss as compassionate as this.

"That is a great boss with strong, empathetic leadership skills," the most popular commenter wrote. "My boss is like this, and it’s why my loyalty is to her and not the owner of the company I work for. True leadership at its best!" another added.

 card, ice note, greeting card, pen, woman writing, thank you card A woman writing a greeting card.via Canva/Photos

The card was so incredible because, in a professional setting, people aren’t usually required to go out of their way to express such heartfelt emotions. This boss going out of her way to let their struggling employee know that they were worthy and that they showed strength in the face of their incredible anxiety was a show of encouraging leadership and kindness. This had to be incredibly empowering for someone who felt ashamed of having to leave work because of their mental health. When they came back to their job, instead of being called out for having mental health problems, they were singled out for being “strong,” “powerful,” and “worthy.”

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