'I had panic attacks...': Archana Puran Singh’s son Aaryamann Sethi opens up on his mental health struggles

Aaryamann Sethi was only 14 when life took an unexpected turn. In a vlog shared by his mother, Archana Puran Singh, he opened up about how a severe leg injury shattered his dream of becoming a professional footballer. Once playing for England’s Queens Park Rangers and aspiring to join the Premier League, Aaryamann saw his ambitions come to a halt after that life-changing incident.

Aaryamann Sethi recalls how it all changed

Reflecting on the turning point in his life, he shared, “The tough part was leaving home, and I only decided that I want to leave home and play football in England and you guys made it happen. I left home when I was 14 years old. I stayed there for three weeks and just as I settled in, I broke my leg. Then it became very difficult for me. Then I came back to India and I was in hospital and I got crutches and had surgery done."

Aaryamann Sethi on his struggle to bounce back

“I went there again next year and it was 10th standard, so I had to also study hard. I was not playing properly because I was still recovering from my surgery. To see everyone around me grow faster and stronger in the age when people are supposed to do that, I was going backwards. I was not able to catch up," he admitted.

Aaryamann Sethi opens up about depression and anxiety

The experience left a deep emotional impact on Aaryamann. Opening up about his struggles, he admitted that the abrupt end of his football dream led him down a difficult path. “With that dream going away, I got into depression. I still deal with depression. I had panic attacks, anxiety attacks, my hands shake, I have had bouts of depression so much that I would not even come out of my room, and I would stay there all day. London was tough on me. Reassurance doesn’t help in depression, only spending time with that person does, and you all spend time with me. Mom has been the most supportive”, he said.

Aaryamann Sethi shares how he overcame fear and found music

Talking about how the phase affected him personally, Aaryamann revealed that it gave rise to a fear of failure. He said, “I got this fear of not succeeding from both of my parents. Every year, when I didn’t settle, I started feeling worse. I got desperate after a point and was like kuch bhi chalega, kuch bhi kaam kar lunga. That’s when I realised that I want to do music and I will be happy if I continue doing that. I don’t have depression anymore, which is great. My anxiety is 50–20% of what it used to be. I don’t get panic attacks, I don’t get stressed out."Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”