Katy Perry is opening up about her struggles with depression over the past couple of years! In a brand-new cover story for People, Perry talked about getting through the "darkest" period of her life to get to where she is now.
Perry reveals why she's "not as flinchable" anymore
Perry said that being in quarantine creates a unique challenge because of the uncertainty each day presents. "Every day your options change, and you don't know what's what," the pop star told People. "Especially being pregnant in a pandemic, it's an emotional rollercoaster."
"Having a great partner, having a sound mind, continuing to do the work, I'm not as flinchable," Perry went on to say. "I'm not untouchable or invincible, but it's a little bit more like water off a duck's back." It's good that Perry isn't as phased by changes nowadays! She's had to postpone her wedding to fiancé Orlando Bloom because of the pandemic, as well as delay the release of her upcoming album, Smile.
Perry had to go through a "mental and spiritual journey"
Perry found herself going through a low period in 2017 after the release of her album Witness didn't land as she hoped. "After being on a rocket ship and just going straight up, it was just a small change in the trajectory, but it felt seismic," she explained.
"It's been two-and-a-half years of trying to find my footing. It's so easy for me to work, work, work and avoid, but I had to go on a mental and spiritual journey." Perry said that her darkest moments felt like a "nightmare" to her. "You feel like you're being attacked, and you can't wake up," she revealed to People.
Perry recently shared that her split from now-fiancé Bloom in 2017 was the result of depression and suicidal thoughts. However, she's in a much better place emotionally now! The singer said that her upcoming album, Smile, is "full of hopefulness, full of resilience, full of joy and love."
Perry on depression: "You have to take the wheel back"
Perry's efforts to work through her emotional lows involved several steps. As People mentions, she enlisted the help of therapy, medication, and support from those close to her. This included undergoing the Hoffman Process, which allowed her to go on a weeklong personal retreat and unpack internalized behaviours from her childhood.
"How could I have felt that so powerfully to the point where my body was seizing?" Perry asked of her depression. "We all have negative conversations going on in your head that can take the wheel. You have to take the wheel back, and I definitely did. It got me out of this desperate loop of being the best pop star ever. I just really want to be a human being and have the dimension of life."
Perry shared that the future she now envisions for herself is filled with "family and love and laughing and coziness," as she prepares to welcome a new baby with Bloom! "I get to live life, and I get to bring life into the world," she said. "Finding the gratitude in this pain has been a real journey, but the outcome is worth it."
