Gisele Bundchen's actions after Tom Brady lost the Super Bowl hold an important lesson about how to treat your partner
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Gisele Bundchen is a supermodel married to Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots.
Bundchen displayed a positive, supportive attitude after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Experts have said that supporting your partner during setbacks can be crucial for a strong relationship.
Your spouse's attitude toward your job can often make or break your career — and it looks as if Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, has nothing to worry about.
His wife, the supermodel Gisele Bundchen, stayed positive after the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Super Bowl, during which Brady missed a catch when he was the receiver in a trick play.
Bundchen posted on Instagram, "Congratulations Eagles for winning the Super bowl, what a game that was!"
She commended the Patriots for giving their best and Brady for investing so much time and effort "to become the best in what you do."
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She even went as far as to congratulate every Eagles player she saw after the game, Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel tweeted.
"They looked star struck," he said.
Bundchen also seized the opportunity to teach her kids a lesson in good sportsmanship.
According to USA Today, when their 5-year-old daughter, Vivian, realized the Eagles won, Bundchen said: "Just this time. Daddy won five times. They never won before. Their whole life, they never won a Super Bowl. You have to let someone else win sometimes."
Bundchen's upbeat attitude after this Super Bowl marks a sharp departure from her remarks after the big game six years ago, when she was heard blaming the receivers for dropping passes, saying, "My husband cannot f---ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time."
Brady, however, has long seen his wife as a good influence on him.
"She is the most positive and energetic person I have ever met," he told Vanity Fair in 2009. "She always looks at challenges as her greatest opportunities."
In October, Bundchen posted an Instagram photo of her with Brady's mother, Galynn, who has cancer.
"So proud of this beautiful warrior!" Bundchen said in the caption. "I love you so much sweet Galynn."
Bundchen's supportiveness recalls something Alexandra Solomon, a psychologist at Northwestern University, previously told Business Insider. The most important thing a long-term relationship needs to be successful, she said, is "two people who are able to competently handle all of the s--- that hits the fan."
That is to say: You don't just want a partner who's there for you when things are going smoothly, but someone to rely on when the going gets rough.
Perhaps Bundchen is learning from her reading, which Vanity Fair reported includes the teachings of the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and which Bundchen says has helped give her a sense of inner peace.
"You have this kind of epiphany — I don't need to sweat the small stuff!" she said. "Enjoy the journey, not the destination."
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