Arnold Schwarzenegger has been one of the prime examples of resilience throughout life. At 76, the star has been through countless ups and downs that he now talks about often in various meets and his newsletter, ‘Arnold’s Pump Club’. One of the subjects he often deals with is mental health battles. And while fans ask him about obstacles that hamper them mentally, he recalled his days when he was undergoing heart surgery to talk about how he truly used to feel.
Schwarzenegger’s medical history has been unfortunate due to a congenital heart condition. Over the years, he has undergone four heart surgeries in total, either to replace his valves or add a pacemaker. Invasive or not, intensive medical procedures could result in some shifts in mood.
Schwarzenegger experienced temporary bouts of depression. In the Q&A part of his newsletter, one of his fans talked about how their eye disease instigated a sense of fear and panic. They sought advice from Schwarzenegger on coping with the extreme feelings. That’s when he admitted he felt the same.
Schwarzenegger revealed that he experienced a temporary phase where he felt mentally down. This happened after his open-heart surgery in 1997. Since his conditioning had already been a cause for worry, this added to the messy situation.
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“There were days where I woke up thinking I was completely f***ed. I’m the most optimistic guy in the world, so feeling so pessimistic was almost a bigger shock…”
The easiest way that Schwarzenegger devised for himself was to recalibrate and take hold of things he could control. This assured him of guaranteed results, and that eliminated anxiety. As for the depressive episodes, he tends to talk to himself to solve problems. However, he assures the fan that these feelings aren’t abnormal.
“You should never feel like feeling depressed or anxious is a failure of any kind. It’s the chemicals in your brain.”
Schwarzenegger finished the answer with an anecdote on how he ended up getting cigars from his heart doctors to boost his mood post-surgery. Having been in and out of hospitals for his heart, he now takes full charge of how he can make his body function better. He recently announced going under for getting a pacemaker right after Arnold Classic UK.
Arnold Schwarzenegger showed true strength in bouncing back after latest surgery
Since his last heart surgery in 2020, Schwarzenegger has been on strict parole around his heart. Checking his heart rate, going in for regular check-ups, and keeping his team of doctors up to date with his concerns were some of the many initiatives he took to ensure good heart health. Doctors had recently noticed an off-pace in his heartbeat and decided it was time for a pacemaker. He revealed more details in a previous newsletter.
After the Arnold Classic UK, where he went through some of the most strenuous days, he scheduled his surgery for the insertion. The procedure was successful, and he was already out and about, working hard, with the machine running inside.
