Christian songwriter and worship singer Brandon Lake recently opened up about his experiences with depression and “adrenaline fatigue” during a podcast where he also discussed the importance of spiritual and physical well-being.
The 33-year-old musician, father of three sons, and husband spoke about the moment he realized he was battling depression and adrenaline fatigue, a term used by alternative health practitioners to explain tiredness and other symptoms thought to be due to long-term exposure to stressful situations, according to Healthdirect Australia, which adds that adrenaline fatigue isn’t a recognized medical diagnosis. Lake shared these intimate details on a recent episode of the “General Leadership” podcast with his father, Mac Lake. He said that on the night he first experienced a battle with his mental health, he was putting his young sons down to sleep when he suddenly began to have an episode of depression.
That evening, Lake said he reached out to two of his close friends to confide in them about his struggle. Lake recalled, “My wife Brittany is putting one boy to bed; I’m putting the other boy to bed. And I reached out to two of my buddies. And I had too much pride to even call them; I texted them. I said, ‘Guys, I don’t know what’s going on right now. I’ve been home for a few days, and I don’t recognize myself. I’m not myself. I’m freaking out. And I’m feeling compelled to just crash or do something crazy.’”
He continued, “And they’re trying to call me, but I wouldn’t answer. And I’m still trying to put the boys down, and my buddy sends me a voice text praying over me. Micah … one of my best friends, he’s just been a Godsend. And I listened to the voice text while I’m lying with one kid in bed. As soon as he prayed over me, man all of the weight and the craziness at that moment, it broke. I broke, but in a good way, which led to confession.”
At that point, he added, “I hadn’t shared any of what was going on with me with Brittany. I kept it to myself. And that’s one of the biggest things the enemy wants to do is isolate you and keep you in that constant panic, and you believing all of those lies.” After hearing his friend Micah’s prayer over voice text, Lake said he broke down and wept, and his wife held him close in that moment. His depression had actually started a few years earlier when he went through the transition of rising to fame and notoriety, he added.
In that transition, Lake said he went from being a local worship leader to signing onto a record label, touring the country with Bethel music and writing songs with many of the famous artists he had looked up to. However, along with his newfound fame came heavy feelings of “pressure” that took an emotional and mental toll on the artist. On the night he broke down crying while putting his children to bed, Lake said he realized he needed someone to talk to about the dark feelings he was facing.
“Luckily, because I’ve had amazing role models and counseling, I knew to talk about it quickly. But this was a kind of battle, one I didn’t see coming. And it was nothing I’d ever experienced before,” he added, reiterating how he had a huge physical, mental and emotional adjustment going from being a local worship leader and home with his wife and children to going on tour and then returning to a less hectic lifestyle at home.