Lila Iké off social media, on the road to healing

Three months after worrying posts on social media, Lila Iké says she is focused on healing.

The In.Digg.Nation act said she was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that her breakdown came after sleepless nights and mounting paranoia.

“Within that moment, I’m scared, I’m paranoid, I’m thinking the only way to protect myself is if I go on my Live, because there’s no way ‘he’s’ going to hurt me in front of everybody watching,” the 27-year-old said on Sunday’s episode of Odyssey With Yendi.

Speaking to host Yendi Phillipps, the I Spy singer did not delve into those details, but said she has been recognising and removing her triggers.

“I’ve completely removed myself from social media,” she started. “I haven’t been on Instagram, Twitter anything, because going in those spaces, I know what to expect, I know what I’m going to see, so that’s the first thing that I did.”

She has also recognised the link between her not sleeping and having the manic episode, revealing that the first time it happened was in 2018, except she wasn’t aware. Iké said she was around In.Digg.Nation principal Protoje at the time, who observed what was transpiring and got her to calm down.

“I just remember the same thing; feeling very paranoid, scared, thinking everybody is out to get me.”

She dismissed it at the time as she had been smoking marijuana, and chalked it up to consuming “bad weed”.

Having a supportive circle is also helping the artiste. Protoje was commended for prioritising her health over her career. She has even re-strategised her business model to release only one single each year and incorporate performances at a pace comfortable for her.

Otherwise, “I’ve just been at home thinking, just doing a lot of research, reading a lot on mental health, reading a lot about bipolar disorder and just realising that right now, my lifestyle is going to have to be centred around that. I have to develop a routine. I have to stay in the gym. I have to ensure that I’m eating properly. I have to filter in resting, ‘cause that’s something that if I don’t feel like sleeping, I’m not going to sleep.”

Bipolar disorder, according to America’s National Institute of Mental Health, is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration and the ability to carry out daily tasks.

While she’s cultivating her new lifestyle, her personal mission remains the same.

“My main purpose here is to make music that inspire people, music that inspire the youth dem, music that is positive, music that is uplifting – that’s literally all I’m trying to contribute.”