Justin Baldoni Says He's Not In the Best Place After Intense Year

Justin Baldoni says he needs time to heal from an intense year ... admitting he's exhausted and anxious from a bunch of stress.

Baldoni opened up and got emotional in a face-to-face interview with Samir Mourani -- host of the "Gent's Talk Podcast" -- talking about his need for some serious self-care.

Justin sat for the interview a month prior to Blake Lively's first court filing accusing the "It Ends With Us" actor-director of sexual harassment and a public smear campaign ... and it's pretty evident his trying time with Blake on set is the cause of all his stress here.

Baldoni says in the November sit-down he's told folks close to him he's "not in the best place" because he hasn't given himself time to recover and heal from his "intense" year, which he says was filled with material success and emotional stress for him and his family.

Justin says he's trying to check in on himself to maintain his mental health, and says one thing he's trying to emphasize ... "You don't have to be perfect to be loved."

In the 70-minute interview, Justin also describes the vulnerable conversation he had with his father and friends on a trip to Northern California.

As we've reported ... Justin and Blake have been beefing in court since the fallout from their "It Ends With Us" movie shoot.

In December, Blake filed a civil rights complaint followed by a lawsuit against Baldoni for his alleged sexual harassment and smear campaign against her.

Justin fired back with his own lawsuits ... one against the New York Times and another against Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.