Trevor Noah on depression and being a workaholic

SA-born comedian Trevor Noah has opened up about the effect of Covid-19 on his and others mental health.

According to South China Morning Post, Trevor used daily routines and goals to help him deal with anxiety and depression, but saw his routine turn on its head with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

Speaking to the publication, the comedian opened up about the toll the coronavirus had on mental health.

“It was terrible. Are you kidding me? If anyone struggles with depression, if anyone’s working through anxiety, you can do a good job of managing that. You can manage how you eat, you can manage how you exercise, how you get fresh air, how you associate with people.

"All these things contribute to your mental health. Having it all stripped away at once took a toll on society that I don’t think we’ve begun to understand,” he said.

He recounted how the pandemic had forced him to slow down, admitting he was a bit of a workaholic.

“I’ve spent more than a decade working nonstop. Which is a badge of honour in America. In many other parts of the world, people would say, ‘You have a problem.’ I’ve missed weddings. I’ve missed birthdays. I’ve missed funerals. Then something like this happens and you go, ‘Man. I’ve missed a lot of life’.”

Trevor spoke candidly about his battle with depression in a GQ interview last year.

“Sometimes you wake up and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to do this today’. That’s one of the greatest blessings The Daily Show has given me. Two of the best things for depression are routine and goal-orientated tasks.

“Every day I have to make a show. Every day I have to finish the show. Every day I have to let go of the show.”

He told People US in 2017 that he had worked hard on his self-esteem after struggling for several years, saying he looks at himself in the mirror and repeats affirmations.

“A lot of people make that mistake with celebrities and people who are in places that are prominent. They go: ‘You’re just having a good time. You don’t have issues.’ No, everyone’s got issues with self-esteem. Some people do not, but most people do.”