Advertisement

Michelle Obama Assures Fans She’s Okay After Revealing on Her Podcast That She Has “Low-Grade Depression”

Starr Bowenbank
·5 min read

From Cosmopolitan

  • Michelle Obama’s second podcast episode touched on some heavier topics, and she shared that she’s dealing with “low-grade” depression.

  • Michelle later said she is doing well after receiving concerned comments from fans.

Michelle Obama answered everyone’s collective prayers and blessed our poor souls when she announced that she’d be getting her very own podcast, courtesy of Spotify. For the first episode, Michelle treated fans to a delightful conversation with her husband (aka the only president I acknowledge), Barack Obama.

A week later, Michelle’s second episode came out and she chose to tackle heavier topics like Breonna Taylor’s and George Floyd’s murders, the Black Lives Matter movement, the pandemic, and the current state of politics. It’s enough to get even the strongest person down, and Michelle is no exception—in the episode, she revealed to journalist Michele Norris that she’s been dealing with “low-grade depression.”

View this post on Instagram

We’ve all been dealing with a lot of change in our lives and our communities. We’ve experienced the shock—and the aftershocks—of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. And all this is happening amid this life-altering pandemic, which has upended so much of life as we’ve always understood it. All this change can feel pretty heavy—and we’re often left to deal with it at a moment when we’re forced to spend more time alone—more time in our own heads—than we’re used to. I couldn’t think of anyone better to talk about all of this with than my friend and confidante, @michele__norris. In the next episode of The #MichelleObamaPodcast, we're talking about life during this strange and exhausting time. You can listen to our conversation now on @Spotify—link in my bio.

A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Aug 5, 2020 at 5:58am PDT

“I’m waking up in the middle of the night because I’m worrying about something or there’s a heaviness,” Michelle said. “These are not, they are not fulfilling times spiritually.…I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression.”

Explaining herself, Michelle said, “[It’s] 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.”

Following Michelle’s comments on the podcast, fans reached out to ask her if she’s doing okay, so she took to Instagram to assure everyone that she is just fine. She wrote:

“I just wanted to check in with you all because a lot of you have been checking in on me after hearing this week’s podcast. First things first—I’m doing just fine. There’s no reason to worry about me. Like I said in that conversation with @Michele__Norris, I’m thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us—the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds. I’m thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall. I’m thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country.

“The idea that what this country is going through shouldn’t have any effect on us—that we all should just feel okay all the time—that just doesn’t feel real to me. So I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. I hope you’re listening to yourselves and taking a moment to reflect on everything that’s coming at us and what you might be able to do about it. And to all of you who’ve reached out—thank you. I hope you’re also reaching out to all those you’re closest with, not just with a text but maybe with a call or a video chat. Don’t be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on or to ask for one yourself. Love you all.”

View this post on Instagram

I just wanted to check in with you all because a lot of you have been checking in on me after hearing this week’s podcast. First things first—I’m doing just fine. There’s no reason to worry about me. Like I said in that conversation with @Michele__Norris, I’m thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us—the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds. I’m thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall. I’m thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country. The idea that what this country is going through shouldn’t have any effect on us—that we all should just feel OK all the time—that just doesn’t feel real to me. So I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. I hope you’re listening to yourselves and taking a moment to reflect on everything that’s coming at us, and what you might be able to do about it. And to all of you who’ve reached out—thank you. I hope you’re also reaching out to all those you’re closest with, not just with a text, but maybe with a call or a videochat. Don’t be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on, or to ask for one yourself. Love you all. 📸: Adam Garber @garbr

A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Aug 6, 2020 at 1:18pm PDT

As if we needed another reason to stan.

You Might Also Like