"I'm still f***ing battling it" - Chris Bumstead opens up about his bout with mental struggles and stress

Chris Bumstead is the undisputed champion in the Classic Physique division of the Mr. Olympia. He has won four consecutive titles in the category since 2019. In a recent YouTube video, Cbum spoke about his mental struggles and stress.

When asked about how he deals with his anxiety, Cbum said he has been trying to control it his whole life. He also added that anxiety is created from putting pressure on things outside of one's control.

"So now you're putting more control on your anxiety and you don't have any help over it and it creates more stress. I’m still f***ing battling it. Learning how to relax when it comes. Accept that it’s there and not be too hard on myself. Just understand that it's part of life whatever I’m doing there’s probably a reason it's making me anxious because it's probably important."

He further said,

"Also, something that took me a long time to learn and still learning is communicating about it. My whole life I've fu**ing held stuff in and I didn't feel like I should talk about my stuff and felt like I should be able to handle it on my own and thought it would be a burden if I shared it with anyone, and that made my anxiety grow and get bigger."

Chris Bumstead said he feels better after he started sharing things with his wife Courtney and family. The bodybuilder also added that he is still trying to learn to control his anxiety.

Back in April, during an episode of Full Send podcast, the four-time Mr. Olympia Classic Physique champion spoke about the stress he had despite doing what he loves. He admitted that winning his first Mr. Olympia Classic Physique title provided him a sense of relief. Now and then, however, Chris Bumstead has been open to admit that he has faced stress and anxiety in his career.

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Chris Bumstead talks about changes in his diet

During his Q&A session, Chris Bumstead said he had made a change to his diet. He was asked the number of meals he eats a day. Responding to the question, the four-time Mr. Olympia Classic Physique champion said,

"Basic question but I'm answering this because I recently changed it. I've touched briefly on it in my last video but I used to always consistently push myself to eat six meals a day or at least five meals and a shake but now it's reduced to now four meals and a shake, so I have breakfast, two meals at work, and then a shake, and then one meal before bed."

Bumstead also disclosed that despite the changes in his diet, he was still trying to get the same amount of protein content.

"I've just increased the amount of chicken, fish or whatever I put in my meals. Honestly, my digestion has been so much better. The key to sleeping is not having a full belly when you go to bed."

Chris Bumstead also provided an early look at his private gym. He told viewers that his goal was to complete his private gym project 18-20 weeks before the 2023 Mr. Olympia. The 2023 Mr. Olympia will be held from November 2 to 5.