Josh Wilson
This Texas-native started playing piano at nine years old, then took up guitar and drums when he was 10. From there, he never looked back. During his high school years, he continued to hone his musicianship, and eventually he fell in love with songwriting at Nashville’s Belmont University. A self-described introvert with an aversion to the spotlight, Wilson never dreamed he’d be the one behind the mic, but God had other plans.
Since signing his first record deal with Sparrow in 2006, Wilson has become a staple at radio, amassing multiple top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart, including “Savior, Please,” “I Refuse,” “Fall Apart,” “Carry Me,” “Before the Morning,” and “That Was Then, This Is Now.” He’s toured with some of the genre’s biggest acts, including Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West, Casting Crowns, and Building 429.
Wilson released his first single, “Dream Small in 2018. As a multi-instrumentalist and live-looping enthusiast, he’s been known to play and record as many as 20 instruments on stage at any given time.
This month he is releasing a Mental Health EP called Mental Help. We discussed his experiences with anxiety and depression and that the healing journey is not linear, but the pain is not permanent.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with anxiety, depression and addiction with us this Mental Health Awareness Month. You’ve shared that you used to try to handle your struggles on your own. Why do you think God designed us in such a way to need each other for refuge and healing?
I know that God is relational.
We’re studying the Holy Spirit at my church right now, and the Trinity is an example of how God is in relationship, not only with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but with us.
I’m learning that the Christian life is all about surrender. To God, to my own way, to my pride.
I often think I can do things on my own, and I’m almost always wrong about that. It’s a bit scary to reach out and ask for help, but every time I do, I wish I would have done so earlier.
Tell us the backstory of your song “It Gets Better” and how your wife supported and loved you well in that moment.
Long answer incoming!
I was in Montana in the dead of winter. It was late and cold, and I was traveling alone. I had just finished playing a concert. I got to my hotel and as I walked in into my room, I closed the door, set my bags down, and crumpled on the floor. I was shaking, weeping uncontrollably.
Months, years, decades of anxiety and depression had built up in my body and my mind and lead me to this moment, where I simply broke down. I called my wife and told her I couldn't finish the tour. I said I needed to come home.
Becca is so kind.
She didn't offer me platitudes or cliches. She didn't try to fix me.
Instead, she flew to where I was and traveled with me to get me through the rest of the tour. She reminded me I’m not alone. She let me borrow her faith until mine caught up.
2 weeks and 3,000 miles later, I finally got back to my home in Nashville, where I took some much needed time off. I saw my doctor and my counselor, and I spent time with close friends and family. I canceled shows. I rested. I played guitar. I walked, prayed, and cried.
Eventually, slowly, things started to get better.
As I’ve implemented medication, therapy, exercise, prayer, healthy eating, and many other strategies, my mental state has continued to improve. There have been plenty of setbacks, and my healing hasn’t been linear, but all along the way, Jesus has been reminding me that my pain is not permanent. That's what “It Gets Better” is about. It's going to get better, in this life or the next.
It all works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, then it's just not the end.
You also shared that you are 7 years sober from alcohol. That’s incredible. What are some resources that helped you? What is your biggest piece of advice for someone that would like to begin their journey into sobriety?
I had an addiction counselor here in Nashville named David Hampton. He was my greatest ally and resource, and I couldn’t have done it without him.
I also went to a few AA meetings, and used the r/stopdrinking forum on Reddit. AA and Reddit are both free, so if you aren’t in a place to afford a counselor, I highly recommend them (and Celebrate Recovery, too!). I also recommend a book by Annie Grace called This Naked Mind.
What are some go-to verses for you when you’re in a prolonged season of depression or anxiety? How does knowing the context cement it into your heart and story?
Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”
This verse means the world to me, because our hearts are so often broken. It doesn’t mean God has abandoned us because we’re struggling. It’s actually the opposite. God is even more present in our difficult moments.
David, who wrote most of the Psalms, was “a man after God’s own heart,” and yet he still struggled with anxiety, sorrow, and maybe even depression. So when we face those things, we’re in good company, and we’re not alone.
Your Mental Health EP comes out on May 31st. What is your hope as people listen to it and incorporate it into their spiritual lives?
I hope that we as Christians, as we find our hope and strength in Jesus, will also be open to all of the ways He might help us.
For me, it’s been prayer, church, community, therapy, medication, exercise, healthy eating, and a few others. God has used these things together to keep me on steady ground, and while it hasn’t always been easy, it’s definitely getting easier.
Josh Wilson | Mental Help
Lead songs from Mental Help with your congregation. Resources available at MultiTracks.com.