Zac Brown on Battling Depression: ‘It’s Okay to Ask for Help’

Zac Brown has a message for anyone battling depression, at Christmas or any other time of the year. The lead singer of the Zac Brown Band hopes the group’s video for their latest song, “Someone I Used to Know,” reminds fans who are struggling that they are not alone.

“I think the holidays are a time when people feel a lot of pressure, and I think it’s good to remind everybody that it’s okay to be human,” Brown told PEOPLE. “It’s okay to ask for help.”

Brown has had his share of struggles, including the end of his 12-year marriage to his wife, Shelly, earlier this year. But he knows his struggles are nothing compared to what some of his friends have experienced.

“I’ve lost dear friends to suicide,” revealed the singer. “Whatever was gnawing at them, whatever was eating at them that we didn’t know and couldn’t see, it obviously felt bigger to them than asking for help and having someone else go through it with them. It made me realize, too, that I don’t want to be that person that can’t face themselves and get to the other side so that I can be well for myself and for everybody else around me.”

The Zac Brown Band just released the compelling video for their latest single, “Someone I Used to Know,” as a way to spread the message that asking for help can be a sign of strength.

“‘Someone I Used to Know’ is a touch point to remind people that they don’t have to be alone in what they feel,” Brown said in the video. “They’re not alone. Pain and depression doesn’t discriminate. This song is me facing that part of myself of where I want to go and not where I’ve been. I would encourage people that when they feel like they have a need or they have a voice that’s telling them to face something, it’s a sign of strength to ask for help and to face the things that are really hard. That’s what defines you, overcoming those things.”

The video concludes with a message saying, “You don’t have to go through this alone. Share your story and #spreadhope.”

Brown might have had a challenging 2018, but feels confident as he looks ahead to the new year that better days are still to come.

“I’m definitely in a spot in my life where I’m trying to face things that are hard so that I can be as well and healthy as possible and so that I can have more energy and be able to be more present for my kids and for my business and everyone,” said Brown. “It’s not the struggles that define you, it’s the fact that you can overcome those struggles that define you. It’s what makes you who you are.”

Download “Someone I Used to Know” on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Jeff Hahne