During a recent chat with Audacy’s Julia, Audacy Launch artist Muni Long opened up about mental health, sharing her journey, and best practices she finds helpful.

Firstly acknowledging, “This is definitely something that I 100% feel needs to be talked about more," Muni shared some of the things she prioritizes and finds helpful, being an artist and always having to be creative and show up.

“I think having my own, I don't wanna say struggles, but journey with mental health,” she adds, saying it’s important for her to make sure, “I get enough rest, making sure I can be full before I… try to share any piece of myself with other people.”

“There are always people touching me… sometimes on a shoot day, I might have five or six people touching me at the same time, you know, makeup hair styling assistant, somebody's putting on lotion,” Muni explained, which can obviously be a lot. “So I have to make sure that, like I said, I'm getting enough rest, I'm eating right,” she added.

“I just always make sure I manage my space," she says, "and if for any reason I'm uncomfortable, I don't even have to know what it is, for any reason I'm uncomfortable, I leave.” Later on adding, “I think more people need to normalize…We need to normalize that. Like if you're not vibing, move on.”

Julia noted, “I think a lot of that self-care, at least for me, I notice comes in your thirties. Where like you start treating yourself like a baby again where you're like, am I fed? Did I sleep? Is my baseline good? Am I feeling comfortable with what's around me? Because then if anything tough comes up you can handle it so much better,” to which Muni agreed.

“And that's the other thing too. I do not get mad as fast,” Muni shared, adding, “it takes a lot, and even then, if I do feel anger or feel those sort of like very draining emotions, I allow myself to process it fully before I address the issue. Because anger doesn't do anything… I want peace.”

For all that and more, listen to the entire clip above.

Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Julia