"Damn if they only knew my thoughts" - Justin Bieber shares cryptic message claiming he feels "unequipped" and "unqualified" amid health concerns

On March 13, Justin Bieber shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram story, where he spoke candidly about his struggles with self-esteem. In his black-and-white post, the Sorry singer reflected on how he was told all his life that he "deserves" his achievements while he felt like a fraud on the inside, writing:

"People told me my whole life, 'wow Justin u deserve that' and I personally have always felt unworthy, Like I was a fraud, Like when people told me I deserve something, It made me feel sneaky like, Damn if they only knew my thoughts."

Enter caption Screenshot of Justin Bieber's Instagram story (Image via Instagram/@justinbieber)

Bieber then went on to write that people didn't know what went on inside his head and that he found himself to be "selfish" and "judgmental," sharing:

"How judgmental I am, how selfish I really am, They wouldn't be saying this. I say all this to say. If you feel sneaky welcome to the club, I definitely feel unequipped an unqualified on most days."

The Never Say Never singer ended his story by reassuring his followers they weren't alone in facing similar emotions. Bieber's story comes a day after he posted a picture of himself in his recording studio. His last studio album, Justice, was released four years ago.

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Justin Bieber's representative spoke out against the drug speculations spreading online

Justin Bieber's Instagram story about feeling "unequipped and unqualified" comes weeks after his representative spoke to TMZ, dismissing all the hard drug rumors about the singer running rampant online.

According to Bieber's representative, the One Time singer was in one of the best places in his life and had his hands full with parenting his newborn son—Jack Blues Bieber—with Hailey Bieber and working on new music.

The representative added that 2024 was "very transformative" for the artist as he "ended several close friendships and business relationships that no longer served him." TMZ also said that Justin Bieber's priorities weren't about scoring a quick fix but instead about supporting his family, taking care of his health, and creating music that he's passionate about.

Bieber's representative also claimed that the persistent narrative about his declining mental and physical health is "exhausting and pitiful and shows that despite the obvious truth, people are committed to keeping negative, salacious, harmful narratives alive."

These narratives crowded social media platforms at the beginning of February 2025, when Justin Bieber was photographed in New York. The Peaches singer appeared red-eyed in the photos, with prominent dark circles, which led netizens to speculate if his relapse into drugs was causing it.

The speculations are rooted in Bieber's past history of substance abuse. The Mistletoe singer has been open about his early exposure to smoking marijuana before moving on to harder drugs, claiming that at one point, things had gotten bad enough that his security team had to come and check his pulse multiple times at night.

According to TMZ's sources, the look was courtesy of Justin pulling an all-nighter while recording music. The pictures were taken as he stepped out for fresh air. He had also spent the previous evening looking after his newborn, who was allegedly having trouble falling asleep.

The media outlet also reported that Justin went sober in 2014 and has since stopped using prescription pills and other strong substances. He only drinks alcohol socially.

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Weeks before his recent Instagram story, Justin Bieber had shared another one (on February 20), which talked about letting go in order to mature. Bieber concluded the story by speaking about giving all his insecurities and fears to God and asking for His help with the next step.