After undergoing major surgery last year, Carson Daly is recovering well and feeling positive about turning 50.
On June 22, the Today host celebrated his milestone birthday and opened up to PEOPLE about how he is feeling following an anterior lumbar interbody fusion procedure, in which an intervertebral disc is removed and replaced with a bone or metal spacer, according to the USC Spine Center.
Actually, I feel fantastic. To be perfectly honest, I feel a lot better now than I did when I was leaving my 40s. In any case, physically,” he claims to PEOPLE. “My back is finally better after my back surgery last year. A year is required. After having back fusion surgery, I was in a terrible mood. ” .
As he enters his fifties, he says, “I’m really on the rebound right now, so I’m totally optimistic for the future.”.
Daly also mentioned that he’s been in good mental shape, thinking back on his own experiences with anxiety and the work he’s done in recent years to increase public awareness of mental health services.
“Recently, I’ve been on a serious mental health journey. In the field of mental health, I worked as an advocate a lot. Additionally, I’ve been looking into my past to determine whether I have panic disorder or GAD, a generalized anxiety disorder. And I think about where it came from,” he says.
“So as I reflect on my life, I see that despite the fact that I’ve experienced panic attacks numerous times, I didn’t fully understand what they were at the time. They occurred in large numbers during MTV’s spring break in Cancun. When you think I was having the time of my life, those were frequently the scariest moments of my life because I was coping with a mental health condition that I really didn’t understand. ”.
It’s okay to not be okay, to be vulnerable, to be brave, and to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, the television personality says he would probably advise his younger self. Don’t keep anything inside. ” .
Daly continues by saying that a great deal of people, including himself, endure mental health problems for years before seeking assistance.
There are solutions out there, he says. “You can recover, and you’re not by yourself. There are so many people who are dealing with issues that you are unaware of. Many people are experiencing pain that is invisible. ” .
“See, I have this whole philosophy that mental health should be celebrated as well as accepted. I believe people have wonderful qualities. Perception is all that matters. We need to change the way we think about it, Daly tells PEOPLE.
“I might feel anxious, have a panic attack, think there is an immediate threat, and leave a room; my fight or flight response is crazy, and I’m sensitive. However, I could also enjoy a glass of wine, classical music, and a sunset while experiencing a visceral, physical response of joy. or when I embrace and adore my children. The love is so strong,” he continued.
“That’s the sensitivity side of that anxiety. I choose to look, in which case I consider myself to be a superhero. I don’t view it as evidence that I am struggling with my mental health. ’”.
