Everything happens for a reason, even something as tragic as Zayn Malik leaving One Direction . If you're still grieving over his departure from the band, rest assured that he's in a better place.The singer-songwriter explained on The Elvis Duran Show that moving on from 1D not only helped him build his solo career but also has been good for his mental health, E! reports. Malik suffers from anxiety , and he admitted that the group sometimes added to his stress."When I was in the band, there were times where I needed time away to go see my family and recollect my thoughts," he said. "But right now, I feel like I have the time to process things, and I'm doing things in my own space, so it's a good place to be in."One of the biggest perks to having more time to himself has been the chance to confront his emotions through writing."It was fun to reminisce on things and think about what was good and what was bad and make sense of it all," he said of his new book . "I feel myself growing every day as a person, as we all do, just getting older and wiser hopefully."