Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for ACM

In a recent interview on the God’s Country podcast, Hardy spoke openly about his mental health. He experienced two crippling panic attacks in one week triggered by a series of events that included his 2022 bus accident, his wedding and a return to the road. So he enrolled in an intensive trauma therapy program, and it gave him clarity.

He told the hosts,

“Through talking about stuff, I was like, I don’t love being on the road all year and playing 80, 90 shows a year and that ball started rolling and I started talking about it and, about how much it’s affected me and my mental health, and…I got into this artist thing so reluctantly…Once I started, it was like I couldn’t stop because I was having success. ‘Strike while the iron’s hot,’ I kept saying that. And finally, I just got burnt.”

“I’m still gonna play shows, I’m just not gonna play as many in the future and it’s gonna be a little more systematic. So, to answer your question, I’m a home guy and I’ve learned that. I love playing shows and I’m always gonna play shows, but it got to a point where it was too much for me.”