Justin Bieber knows he has to confront the ghosts of his past.

The pop star and new father shared a raw and emotional message on Instagram Stories on Sunday, March 16 — his latest in a string of vulnerable posts — expressing feelings of being “unsafe” and overwhelmed.

“I was always told when I was a kid not to hate,” Bieber, 31, wrote. “But it made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to have it and so I didn’t tell anyone I’ve had it.”

He continued, “Which made me feel like I have been drowning, feeling unsafe to acknowledge it. I think we can only let hate go by first acknowledging it’s there. How couldn’t we feel hate from all of the hurt we have experienced?”

Fittingly, he accompanied the post with SZA’s song I Hate U.

The emotional update comes just days after Bieber shared another introspective post about feeling “unworthy” for much of his life.

“People told me my whole life, ‘Wow Justin, u deserve that,’ and I personally have always felt unworthy,” he admitted, adding that he often feels “unequipped and unqualified.”

Bieber’s recent social media activity has sparked concern among fans, with some speculating about his well-being. 

However, last month, a representative shut down rumours that the singer was struggling with substance abuse, calling the claims “exhausting and pitiful.”