Shawn Mendes Has Canceled The Rest Of His World Tour Because Of His Mental Health

"I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away."

Shawn Mendes has canceled the rest of his world tour to focus on his mental health, he said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

The news comes a few weeks after Mendes originally postponed three weeks of his tour in North America. Now 70 dates that had been scheduled through August 2023 at arenas around the world have been canceled.

"As you guys know, I had to postpone the past few weeks of shows since I wasn't totally prepared for the toll that being back on the road would take on me. I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away."

He wrote that after talking to his team and health professionals, he decided he needed to take time to "ground" himself and then he could "come back stronger." Like other artists, Mendes took time off touring due to the pandemic, but he said earlier this month that he "hit a breaking point."

"I've been touring since I was 15 and to be honest it's always been difficult to be on the road away from friends and family," he wrote on Instagram on July 8.

Mendes has been open about his struggles with anxiety in his music, referencing it in songs such as "In My Blood," as well as in interviews. In 2020, Mendes said that the pandemic heightened his anxiety.

"The stillness [of the pandemic] brought a lot of anxiety to the surface that I had to work through, and on the other side of that was a really reflective period for me where I could be like, ‘Oh, this is what I’ve been doing. This is crazy,'" he said. "This is what I can do. This is art. This is bigger than me."

When Mendes and fellow musician Camila Cabello announced their breakup this year after three years of dating, Mendes opened up about not knowing who to call when he's having a panic attack. Before their breakup, Cabella said the couple went to therapy together to handle the negativity surrounding their relationship.

In Mendes's Instagram post on Wednesday, he wrote that he still plans to make new music and tour again in the future.

"I know you all have been waiting so long to see these shows, and it breaks my heart to tell you this but I promise I will be back as soon as I've taken the right time to heal," he wrote. "I love you all and thank you all so much for supporting me and sticking by me on this journey."

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