Like most of us, Michelle Obama is just trying to get through 2020 in one piece.
Whether it’s surviving the coronavirus pandemic, taking a stand at ongoing protests over racial injustice, or figuring out who the next POTUS will be, there seems to be an endless stream of anxiety-inducing events that just aren’t slowing down any time soon.
During a new episode of her titular podcast, the former First Lady discussed mental health struggles amid these challenging times and revealed she is “dealing with some form of low-grade depression” this year.
Related: Reporter Makes Donald Trump Look Like A Fool On Coronavirus Response!
Speaking with former NPR anchor and award-winning journalist Michele Norris, the 56-year-old said she hasn’t been in good spirits lately for a number of reasons. She noted:
“Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting.”
Way to hit the nail on the head, as we’re sure many of our readers can relate to the sentiment, especially that last bit. Donald Trump has proven to be nothing but petty, wildly irresponsible, and dangerous in his response to current events. It’s a far cry from the leadership this country needs right now and going forward.
But it must be especially hard for the Obamas. Michelle had to endure eight years of being judged so harshly for her outfits and for trying to get kids to eat healthy — and then 45 and his fam come in and destroy her husband’s legacy? It must feel most days like it wasn’t worth it.
In their discussion, the former FLOTUS partially blamed the politician for her depression, saying:
“I don’t think I’m unusual, in that. But I’d be remiss to say that part of this depression is also a result of what we’re seeing in terms of the protests, the continued racial unrest, that has plagued this country since its birth. I have to say that waking up to the news, waking up to how this administration has or has not responded, waking up to yet another story of a Black man or a Black person somehow being dehumanized, or hurt or killed, or falsely accused of something, it is exhausting. And it has led to a weight that I haven’t felt in my life, in a while.”
Ugh.
We hate to hear this from her, but she’s absolutely not wrong. She went on to say managing “emotional highs and lows” requires “knowing yourself” and “the things that do bring you joy.” For Malia and Sasha‘s momma, this means staying connected with friends and family through hard times — and we just know that doting husband Barack Obama is especially helping out on that front, too.
The former FLOTUS added:
“I’m waking up in the middle of the night, ’cause I’m worrying about something or there’s a heaviness. I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout this quarantine, where I just have felt too low. You know, I’ve gone through those emotional highs and lows that I think everybody feels, where you just don’t feel yourself, and sometimes there’s been a week or so where I had to surrender to that, and not be so hard on myself. And say, ‘You know what? You’re just not feeling that treadmill right now.'”
It’s all about balance and we sincerely hope Michelle, who’s been such a positive force and source of inspiration to people everywhere, keeps her chin up throughout this difficult time.
Perezcious readers, you can listen to the full conversation (HERE) on Spotify and share your thoughts with us on all of this in the comments section (below)…
[Image via WENN/Instar]
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