SELF – Miranda Kerr Had Bad Depression After Splitting From Orlando Bloom

Breakups and loss can take a mental toll on anyone, and Miranda Kerr has recently opened up about her struggles with depression when she broke up with her husband Orlando Bloom three years ago. Surprised by her struggle with depression being such a positive person, Kerr details the deep slump she fell into and how she regained her happiness. The former Victoria’s Secret model recently announced her engagement to Snapchat founder and CEO Evan Spiegel.

SELF asked me to help readers understand how depression can strike, including those who are otherwise happy, and I was pleased to weigh in. To read the full article, click here.

Licensed clinical psychologist Alicia H. Clark, Psy.D., tells SELF that expectations and life experience can play a role here. “For many, the experience of devastation and tragic loss isn’t at all familiar, and these people can be taken more aback by the experience without coping skills to lean on,” she says. “This is not to say that having a lifetime of loss and depression is a good thing, only that such an experience can facilitate coping skills that can be drawn on when needed.”

 

Clark says that while it doesn’t work for everyone, Kerr’s method of dealing with her feelings—understanding that she has control over her own thoughts—can be a powerful one. If you’re dealing with sadness based on a situation (instead of the kind of depression that’s due to brain chemistry), being aware of thoughts that drive negative feelings can allow you to change those thoughts for the better, she explains. For example, instead of thinking you’ll never be happy again, try to remember that sadness doesn’t define you and that you’ll work to heal and feel whole again.