Cole Sprouse Just Returned To Instagram After A Mental Health Break

After a month away from social media, Cole Sprouse returned to Instagram on July 28 (his last IG was posted on June 26), and he's got an important message for fans. In his post, Sprouse acknowledged he'd "been off of social media for a while" and explained that he needed a "much-needed" mental and physical health break — and he wants fans to be sure to do the same if needed.

"I’ve never been the most active user of social media, but even the minor amount I had been engaging during quarantine had become a bit too taxing," Sprouse explained to his followers. He also recognized that work and maintaining a routine is what's best for him, which unfortunately hasn't been possible in the pandemic. Riverdale, like many other TV series and movies, shut down production. "Work is slowly beginning to pick back up within a new normal," he wrote. "And as someone who has only ever really known work their entire life, I found that I’m best on a schedule."

The 27-year-old star has always been open about his mental health. In March 2018, Sprouse discussed his social anxiety. "I had some pretty bad social anxiety when I was little just because I was raised in celebrity culture, and feeling watched all the time," he shared with Us Weekly. "And at least for me — and I can only really speak from personal experiences — I didn’t really get over it until I sort of put my hand into the fire and said, 'OK, this is something I’ve got to live with. Let’s deal with it.'"

He quickly learned as a young actor the importance of breaks. In an interview with W Magazine from 2019, Sprouse even admitted he took a break from acting at one point due to the toxicity that sometimes comes with being a celebrity. When he was 18, Sprouse stepped away from Disney stardom and enrolled at New York University. He told W, "The act of performance is an incredible experience, and it’s really nice, but the part of the industry that’s fascinated with celebrity and idolatry and publicity can be dangerously validating, especially for young men, and so I found myself needing to detox from a lot of that."

On Instagram, he reminded his followers that it was a "fundamental skill for any young performer" to know when they should "step away" and whey they should "re-engage," just like he has. And, above all, he cautioned: "Mental and physical health always come first."