Our favorite first lady Michelle Obama opened up about “dealing with some form of low-grade depression” due to the lingering coronavirus pandemic, the current unrest stemming from racism as well as the “hypocrisy” of the Trump administration, who frequently takes shots at her husband, former President Barack Obama.
On episode two of The Michelle Obama Podcast, which airs on Spotify, Michelle held a discussion with NPR’s Michele Norris, where she spoke about her “emotional highs and lows,” specifically describing how “exhausting” and “dispiriting” it is to witness Trump’s response or lack thereof anytime “yet another story” of an African American being killed surfaces.
“I don’t think I’m unusual in that,” she admitted. “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.” She continued on by saying, “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.”
The Becoming author said that she feels her best when she is surrounded by positive energy from her loved ones.
“I reach out to my family, and to my friends, even in this time of quarantine. You know, I fought to continue to find a way to stay connected to the people in my life who bring me joy, and my girlfriends, my husband, my kids.” She adds, “It’s the small things, small rituals [that make a difference].”
Like many, Michelle has felt unmotivated in some aspects of her life due to the current pandemic, explaining that, “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.”
“You have to recognize that you’re in a place, a bad place, in order to get out of it. So you kinda have to sit in it for a minute, to know, oh, oh, I’m feeling off. So now I gotta, I gotta feed myself with something better,” she added.
She was also sure to touch on how the current racial tensions combined with the coronavirus crisis can lead people to feel displaced.
“Given everything that’s going on right now, from the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the ongoing protests and conversations that are testing our patience — and our consciences… not to mention all the challenges we’re experiencing due to the pandemic, I think that these days, a lot of people are questioning just where and how they can fit into a community.”
The Michelle Obama Podcast debuted on July 29th, 2020, exclusively on Spotify in a lucrative deal with the streaming company.
