Summary
- Sabrina Carpenter struggled with anxiety after starring in Disney shows like Sofia the First and Girl Meets World.
- Despite battling mental health issues, Carpenter found ways to cope.
- Acting on Disney taught Carpenter valuable lessons and boosted her confidence.
After Sabrina Carpenter voiced Princess Vivian in the Disney series Sofia the First and played Maya Hart in the reboot Girl Meets World, she followed her dream of starting a music career. Fans quickly became totally invested in the star's love life, from whether she dated Dylan O'Brien to the possibility that she hid her Shawn Mendes romance. While Carpenter's life looks perfect and fun, the reality is that behind the scenes, she has had a hard time with her mental health.
In this article, we'll take a look at the mental health struggle that Sabrina Carpenter talked about a few years after becoming famous thanks to her Disney Channel shows. We'll also take a look at what she said about starring in Girl Meets World, which is definitely the TV series that started her career.
Sabrina Carpenter Suffered From Anxiety After Starring On Disney Channel Shows
In 2013, when Sabrina Carpenter was 14 years old, she began voicing her popular character Princess Vivian in Sofia the First. One year later, she played Riley Matthews's best friend Maya Hart in the Boy Meets World reboot Girl Meets World. In 2018, when interviewed by Seventeen Magazine, Carpenter talked about having had anxiety the past few years. She had been starring in Disney shows for several years by that point and was getting used to being a public figure.
Carpenter described how she was feeling, and it sounds scary and unnerving. As anyone who has suffered from anxiety knows, it can be especially tough in the beginning since people aren't quite sure what is going on. She said:
"It’s probably my biggest struggle, and something I don’t really talk about… It’s scary when you don’t know how to describe what you’re feeling. Your head is running quicker than your mouth, and you think, I’ve never seen myself like this before. It could be stress…it could be teenage hormones."
The star continued:
"But when it becomes more serious, you have to take care of yourself. So I did. I got to that point in the past two years. And I’m working through it.”
What Are Sabrina Carpenter's Albums?
- "Eyes Wide Open" (2015)
- "Evolution" (2016)
- "Singular: Act 1" (2018)
- "Singular: Act II" (2019)
- "Emails I Can't Send" (2022)
Sabrina Carpenter also struggled with anxiety when releasing her fifth album "Emails I Can’t Send." In an interview with Vogue, she talked about her mental health prior to her album's release. It seems like as the star got more and more famous, she realized that she had to take action about how she was feeling.
She said:
"I feel like the only word that could describe it would be surreal, and just such a weight off of my shoulders. I think for this project, in particular, I had so much anxiety before releasing it. I just really didn’t know how it would be received..."
She added that "was funny" as "the whole concept behind the album is these things that I never really want anyone to hear, and things that I never intended on saying to people. Having that time of my life sort held in these songs forever is as scary as it is really special."
In 2019, several years after becoming a Disney star, Sabrina Carpenter spoke to MTV News about the intense anxiety that she felt. She said that she sometimes felt that it was tough to breathe, and that's why she wrote her song "Exhale." Making art is helpful for many people, and Carpenter was able to put her feelings into words that her fans could relate to. According to the Cleveland Clinic, common anxiety symptoms include having a painful chest, a sensation of choking, a racing heart, and feeling sweaty.
Carpenter has found ways to deal with her anxiety, and her tips are helpful for anyone struggling. She told Glamour:
"I do love air, so I go on walks. Also, music to me is so helpful. There's something about enjoying the little things that are helpful for my mental health, whether just laughing with friends or doing things that feel outside of all of this."
She added that she thinks that it would be relaxing to get into bird watching as a hobby and that she likes baths.
Inside Sabrina Carpenter's Experience As A Disney Channel Star
Even though Sabrina Carpenter has been vocal about struggling with her mental health, she still had a positive experience on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World.
In an interview with Clevver News in 2021, Carpenter talked about Disney and said that when she starred on Girl Meets World, she "learned so much." She said that time was her "stepping stone years" and she became more confident when acting.
Sabrina Carpenter's Notable Acting Roles
- voice of Princess Vivian in Sofia the First (2013-2018)
- Young Chloe Goodwin in The Goodwin Games (2013)
- Maya Hart in Girl Meets World (2014-2017)
- Hailey in The Hate U Give (2018)
- Harper Kreyman in Tall Girl (2019) and Tall Girl 2 (2022)
- Quinn Ackerman in Work It (2020)
- voice of Melissa Chase in Milo Murphy's Law (2016-2019)
She also talked about stereotypes of starring on the Disney Channel. She said, “It’s so funny to me that it’s become this huge stigma over the years and that there has to be a transition."
Carpenter continued to Clevver News that she felt:
“so much pressure on that point from when you’re done being on a Disney Channel show to whatever you do next. Honestly, I was just always doing what I love and I continue to do what I love and follow the projects and things that my heart tells me to do and leads me to.”
