Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About Her Battle With Depression

Kelly Clarkson is opening up about her past battle with depression and how she works hard to keep herself feeling happy and healthy. In a new interview with Parade ahead of the debut of her brand-new talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, on September 9, the talented singer spoke candidly about her struggles and what helped her overcome negative thoughts.

Speaking to the outlet, Kelly admitted that she still has to take some time out for herself to ensure she doesn’t slip back into the depression she once suffered from.

“I used to suffer from depression and I could easily slip back into that if I weren’t steadily paying attention to time management,” the star said. “With all the things that I do, I definitely need time for me.”

As for how she spends her “me time,” Clarkson revealed that she practices self-care and even keeps a gratitude journal so she can fill her mind with positive thoughts while also taking some time out to read self-help books.

The “Piece By Piece” singer shared in the new interview that she made a big change in her life to help her get into a better mindset, removing the people from her life that didn’t have a positive impact on her.

“Once I started weeding out [negative] people, it made a huge difference,” she said.

It’ll probably come as no surprise to fans of the superstar singer to know that another of her mechanisms for staying positive comes from trying lots of different things and not getting stuck in a rut.

“I like being all over the map. I get really bored with monotony and I can’t stand to do the same thing,” Kelly — who’s one of the world’s biggest pop stars, a coach on The Voice, host of her own talk show, an author, an actress, and mom to two young children — revealed.

The star also opened up to Parade about how she also always makes sure she fits in family time. Kelly is mom to 5-year-old River and 3-year-old Remington with husband Brandon Blackstock, while Brandon has 17-year-old Savannah and 12-year-old Seth from a previous marriage.

Of her favorite activities to do with her family, Clarkson revealed that they go “bowling, putt-putt, have movie nights, color together, ride little bikes in the backyard.”

As reported by Rolling Stone, the star has previously opened up about her lowest point, admitting that there was a time in her life where she lost a lot of weight because she was so “miserable,” though no one around her really knew how unhappy she was.

Kelly will return as a coach for Season 17 of The Voice alongside Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and John Legend on September 23. The Kelly Clarkson Show will debut on September 9, both on NBC.