Singer-songwriter Angelo De Augustine has described a prolonged and debilitating illness that disrupted his career at a critical moment of rising recognition, forcing him into years of recovery and prompting a reassessment of both his creative process and personal priorities.

De Augustine said the episode began on Halloween in 2022 at his home in Los Angeles, when he experienced acute neurological symptoms before collapsing. Family members transported him to hospital, where he underwent several days of testing.

Despite extensive evaluation, doctors were unable to establish a definitive diagnosis and discharged him with instructions to return if symptoms worsened significantly.“I was conscious most of the time,” he said, noting that he experienced impaired hearing, limited vision and loss of motor control. He added that he retained only partial memory of the episode.

Following his discharge, De Augustine remained physically incapacitated and uncertain about his prognosis. During this period, he focused on completing Toil and Trouble, an album he had been working on for approximately a year prior to the incident.

He said the decision was driven by both professional commitment and concern about his health outlook. “I didn’t think I would survive the illness,” he said, adding that he was unable to perform routine physical tasks while finishing the project.The album was released in 2023, adding to a catalogue that had been gaining attention in recent years.

After his debut Spirals of Silence in 2014, De Augustine signed to Asthmatic Kitty for his 2017 album Swim Inside the Moon. He later collaborated with Sufjan Stevens on the 2021 album A Beginner’s Mind. His 2019 track Time, from the album Tomb, gained wider exposure after being featured in the 2023 film A Good Person, becoming his most streamed song.

However, De Augustine said he was unable to engage with the increased attention due to his health condition.In the years following the illness, he underwent a gradual rehabilitation process that included relearning basic functions such as walking, speaking, hearing and performing music.

He described recovery as uneven, characterised by incremental improvement interspersed with setbacks. He temporarily returned to live with his mother due to his inability to manage daily activities independently.

De Augustine said emerging scientific discussions around the central nervous system may offer some explanation for his condition, although he emphasised that no formal diagnosis has been confirmed. He referred to the concept of allostatic load, describing it as the cumulative burden of chronic stress on the body’s regulatory systems.

According to his account, prolonged stress may have contributed to a breakdown in normal neurological functioning, leading to widespread physical symptoms. He identified the pressures associated with sustaining a career in the music industry as a potential contributing factor.

During recovery, he introduced structured physical and mental exercises into his routine and reported gradual improvement. He also identified therapeutic benefits from water-based activity, noting that symptoms temporarily subsided while he was in a pool, which he interpreted as an indication of stress-related triggers.

The experience has informed his subsequent album, Angel in Plainclothes, which incorporates themes of physical vulnerability and altered perception. De Augustine said several tracks reflect on the loss and gradual return of sensory and cognitive functions. He described one of the lead songs as capturing a sense of detachment from reality, comparing it to observing life without feeling fully present.

Due to physical limitations, De Augustine departed from his earlier approach of independently recording and producing his music. Instead, he collaborated with other musicians and producers, including Thomas Bartlett, who contributed piano arrangements, and Jonathan Wilson, who provided studio space and instrumentation.

His mother, a professional vocalist, also contributed to the recording process.He said the album’s sound was shaped in part by the use of a range of unconventional and antique instruments, reflecting an ongoing interest in exploring varied tonal textures. Recording sessions were conducted intermittently, depending on his physical condition at the time.

De Augustine resumed live performances in 2025 after a five-year hiatus, describing the experience as a controlled reintroduction to public performance. He said the return involved measured steps rather than a full-scale resumption of touring, citing ongoing health considerations.Reflecting on the period, De Augustine said the illness led him to reconsider his earlier approach to music and work.

He indicated that a singular focus on songwriting may have contributed to prolonged stress, and said his current priority is maintaining a more balanced lifestyle while continuing creative work.

He described his present condition as a combination of partial recovery and adaptation, noting that he does not yet consider himself fully restored to his previous state.

Past studies have shown that exercise has a positive effect on a person’s mood.

A study containing 1.2 million people was conducted in the US, which revealed that people who tend to exercise regularly reported fewer days of mental health issues in a month compared to those who don’t exercise. 

It is no secret that regular exercise helps improve your physical fitness in several ways. However, did you know that regular exercise does not just help maintain physical health but also benefit your mental health? This is because it has the power to improve an individual’s mood and boost the energy level. 

Besides this, people who exercise daily feel energetic and active throughout the day, get better sleep at night and feel more positive and relaxed about their lives.  

Past studies have shown that exercise is beneficial for mental health. And we all know that the current generation is suffering from mental illness in many ways. Therefore, regular exercise can serve as a powerful tool in helping them get rid of mental health issues. 

Are you dealing with such problems regarding your mental health and looking for a way out? Don’t worry, we have got you covered! We have curated a list of ways that show how regular exercise can aid your mental well-being.

Regular Exercise Reduces Stress

It is no surprise that the ongoing tensions, fast-paced world, and limited physical interactions with our loved ones have made stress or anxiety a common mental illness these days. We all know that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in thousands of job losses, thus making the entire situation stressful and exhaustive. Apart from this, people often become stressed out during studies, or even when going through some family problems.   

Past studies have shown that exercise has a positive effect on a person’s mood. It makes a person feel more optimistic and confident. 

This means that the best and easiest way of overcoming stress is exercise. This is because exercise busts out your stress in many ways, such as boosting your endorphins. Besides this, it helps you stay calm and focused after a hectic day or a long run. 

Furthermore, people who are dealing with stress tend to suffer from severe insomnia; exercise helps them to have a good and peaceful sleep. Apart from this, it even keeps your immune system strong and lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases followed by stress, anxiety, or depression.

Regular Exercise Sharpens Your Memory 

A study conducted at the University of British Columbia discovered that regular exercise, which makes your heart and sweat glands pumping, boosts the size of your brain area, called the hippocampus. This helps improve your verbal memory and learning significantly.  

This means that regular exercise increases your brain activity and helps your brain to function in a better way, thus improving your memory. 

Apart from this, many physiological changes occur when you work out regularly. For example, your body’s chemical production increases, thereby making your brain cells work in a better way. 

Wondering which exercises can help boost your memory? 

Test out your recall by making a list of grocery items and memorizing it. Then, recall the list after an hour for gauging your cognitive abilities. 

Practice solving math problems in your head as it boosts your mental capabilities.

Learn an athletic exercise that requires efforts from both ends – your mind and body, such as meditation.  

Regular Exercise Boosts Your Energy Level

Do you often feel tired or completely drained out? Then you should know that exercise is one of the best solutions for boosting up your energy and lightening up your mood. 

According to a sports medicine specialist, exercise can benefit in two ways, i.e., it helps maintain your body fitness and improve your mood, thus boosting your energy level. 

As humans, we often feel low or witness a bad mood due to different reasons, such as personal fights, stuck in traffic, work-related issues, financial problems, etc. So, if you’re somebody who is suffering from a bad mood, you should simply incorporate exercise into your daily routine.

When it comes to a bad mood, the best exercise a person can do is meditation. This is because it provides a state of calmness to the person’s mind and body, thus making one feel refreshed and energetic. 

A blog published by Dementia Talk states that regular exercising is miraculous for your body as certain hormones are released while you put those muscles to work. Those hormones ignite positivity and improve your self-esteem.

Apart from this, even students are suggested to play outdoor games, like basketball, football, or tennis as they are exercises for our body. These help in boosting up your energy level and reducing stress level considerably.

Regular Exercise Boosts Your Self-Esteem

Past research has shown that there is a very positive link between a person’s mental health and self-esteem. At some point in time, we often experience low self-esteem, which negatively affects your mental health and hurts your confidence. However, regularly exercising helps boost your self-confidence and self-esteem by multiple folds. This is because exercising makes you feel good about yourself and look fit at all times. 

Moreover, regular exercise keeps your mind in a positive state and even improves your self-esteem as you feel good and confident about your own abilities.

Regular Exercise Improves Your Cognitive Functioning

Did you know regularly working out can do wonders to your brain? According to past studies, regular exercise helps enhance your mental health and reduce cognitive decay in aging and psychiatric disorders.

It is a known fact that regularly working out improves your physical fitness, but it can also boost your brainpower. This is because your brain requires a constant supply of oxygen and other chemicals, and exercise helps provide that. 

So, if you want to improve your cognitive functioning, start exercising today. 

Regular Exercise Reduces the Likelihood of Getting Dementia

By now, we know that physical exercise is crucial for maintaining good blood flow to the brain and may encourage new brain cell growth and survival. 

Past studies reveal that physical exercise has the power to reduce the risk of dementia. This means that physical activity in early, mid, and late-life lowers the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

The Bottom Line 

More studies are being conducted to better understand the relationship between exercise and mental health. In the meantime, you need to incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine. This is because it helps reduce cognitive decline and maintain good physical and mental health. 

Ashley Rosa is a freelance writer and blogger. As writing is her passion that why she loves to write articles related to the latest trends in technology and sometimes on health-tech as well.  She is crazy about chocolates. You can find her at twitter: @ashrosa2.