Saweetie Was 'Run Down to the Ground' This Year, But Is Ready to 'Recharge:' 'Balance Needs to Happen'

"It's like I live, sleep, eat and breathe music and business," Saweetie tells PEOPLE as she candidly opens up about her mental health

Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss

Saweetie has had a massive year.

From dropping hits like "Best Friend" to hosting the MTV EMAs to performing on Saturday Night Live, it's an understatement to say Saweetie has had a busy year. And, the "Tap In" rapper is well aware of it.

"I can't believe I worked this hard," the 28-year-old tells PEOPLE.

How does the "Icy Chain" signer do it? She doesn't even know. "I try to take things day to day. Sometimes I can't look at my calendar on my weekly schedule because it'll give me anxiety," she says. "I feel like what I'm working for is starting to pay off, so I'm just really grateful to be acknowledged."

Saweetie is candid. She admits, "I struggle with my mental health" and she simply doesn't "have time for myself at all," but she tries to allow herself to meditate and pray whenever she can.

"It's like I live, sleep, eat and breathe music and business," the "ICY GRL" says. "My team is really small, so I have to take on responsibilities that eventually somebody else will, but because my team is small, I have to help them out."

"It's just trying to find balance right now. I have no balance. Everything is just work, work, work and I don't have an outlet," she adds. "I don't have a therapist. I don't hang out with any of my friends because I work so much, so it's just trying to thug it out into until the New Year."

She does have something to look forward to, though: a vacation during Christmas. She'll "be chilling somewhere tropical."

"I'm going to take a deep breath and release some stress," the "My Type" rapper says. "Hopefully I'm able to evaluate, reflect on and see what I can do better next year, because I work a lot."

"Balance needs to happen," she adds. "I feel like I'm being run down to the ground right now and my body doesn't feel good. I've had mental breakdowns and it's just really stressful, but it's nice to be acknowledged because it lets me know that my hard work isn't going unnoticed."

Saweetie — who is nominated for both best new artist and best rap song for "Best Friend" at the 2022 Grammys — explains that her own struggles with mental health and stress motivate her to one day "create a resort for celebrities and their mental health."

With her goal of being a billionaire in mind, the rap star says she'll be able to not only help celebrities but also "build schools and help out people in communities that look like me."

"You see artists, especially women artists, venting online and it really makes my soul sad that no one is protecting our mental health," she says. "Like we're working so much and mental health is important because if we're not healthy, then we can't work and if we can't work, there's no music."

She adds, "So it's definitely a domino effect and if I can get some investors before I become a billionaire, creating a wellness resort for celebrities and public figures, athletes, entertainers is like one of my primary goals."

Saweetie will soon release "pre-project" Icy Season on Jan. 7, which she describes as the "pretty bitch bible." (For those unfamiliar, her debut album, titled Pretty Bitch Music, has been in the works for over a year.)

"I just know these songs are special," she says of Icy Season. "I think that music became more fun and more meaningful once I realized my purpose was to inspire and to empower."

She adds, "As women, as humans, we all need guidance, but through my struggles, mistakes and lessons, I'm sharing what I wish was shared to me. I didn't have a big sister. I didn't have a big brother, so I grew up just learning things on my own. So if I can share my wisdom and my stories to help women out, I'd love to do that. That's the purpose of ICY Season."