Harry Styles Talks Tending To His Mental Health And His Take On Therapy

Harry Styles opened up about how he avoided therapy because he wanted to be someone who could do without it.

Now, the "As It Was" singer is singing a different tune as his sessions helped him open rooms inside him that he did not know he had.

Taking care of one's mental health can be a difficult task to do alone, but with therapy, Styles has found peace with himself and things outside his control.

On the extended digital version of the Better Homes & Gardens June cover story, Styles spoke to PEOPLE Magazine about how therapy helped him become more reflective.

The "One Direction" alum revealed that he began receiving therapy around five years after some propelling from others. He explained:

"I thought it meant that you were broken. I wanted to be the one who could say I didn't need it."

Through his therapist, the 28-year-old said that he could "open up rooms" he never knew lay inside him and be more in tune with his emotions. He continued:

"I think that accepting living, being happy, hurting in the extremes, that is the most alive you can be. Losing it crying, losing it laughing—there's no way, I don't think, to feel more alive than that."

The Grammy-winning icon also juxtaposed his life as a famous teenager in a boy band with Billie Eilish, who skyrocketed to fame at fifteen with her single, "Ocean Eyes."

Though Styles could not be happier for Eilish, five years later, he admitted her fame arose unexplainable emotions that made him struggle with his place in the music industry as an older artist. He said:

"She [Eilish] was so much younger than I am, and, when I was in the band, we were always the young guys. When I did my first solo thing, I was still like the young guy. I'm not like an old man now, but she's just a different generation."

The "Sign of the Times" singer noted that one can't "win music" like Formula One and he had to accept that there will be other talented breakout stars. He explained:

"I was like, in my lifetime, there will be ten more people who burst onto the scene in that way, and I'm only going to get further away from being the young thing. So, get comfortable with finding something else that makes you happy. I just found that so liberating."

Liberating himself through therapy accords Styles the ability to do so for others, as seen during one of his fun-filled performances.

The Blast disclosed that during his "Love on Tour" show around Halloween last September, the performer played couple's counselor for two of his fans. 

During Styles' performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City, he noticed one of the many interesting posters from a fan in the crowd. It read, "I came with my ex for you."

The "Don't Worry Darling" actor repeated the words aloud and humorously said, "I have questions. First of all, why is that for me? I think it might be for you."

The couples revealed that they ended their romance two weeks before the show, after dating each other for seven months. Styles replied:

"It’s very mature. It’s very nice that you can enjoy an evening out, you know, as friends. Seven months ago, seven months, and two weeks ago, there was a time when you thought, ‘We like each other a lot.'"

The "Dunkirk" actor continued his counseling to the couple by saying he had no idea where their relationship was, but it was better than other people's. He urged them to take things back that night and clarified:

"I don’t mean she has to go back out with you. She can do whatever she wants. My point is, let's reminisce on a night seven months and two weeks ago when you two looked at each other deep in the eyes and thought, ‘yeah, you’ll do."

Styles' words resonated as the couple hugged each other and suddenly locked lips. The singer laughed and concluded, “Oh, they’re kissing… he’s good now."