Elle King on her postpartum depression ‘I felt trapped in my body. I couldn’t even sing’
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Singer Elle King welcomed her son Lucky on September 1, 2021 with her former partner, tattoo artist Dan Tooker. If you need a refresher, Elle had that big hit “Ex’s & Oh’s” back in 2015. Anyway, back in January, she released her third studio album called, “Come Get Your Wife.” Elle recently made a video post on Instagram, detailing her wellness routine and sharing her weight loss and mental health journey over the past two years since Lucky was born. In the post, she shared her struggle with postpartum depression and how she’s worked to overcome it.
Elle King is getting candid about her wellness journey since becoming a mother. The 34-year-old singer shares that she suffered a state of “deep depression” amid her pregnancy and postpartum journey, and offers a glimpse into her weight loss routine as she strives to be the healthiest version of herself.
King took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a video documenting her daily skincare and exercise regimen, issuing a lengthy caption about her experience in the two years since welcoming her son, Lucky, on Sept. 1, 2021.
“Almost 2 years postpartum ! I am making this post to share my journey from 284 lbs at 5’3 from pregnancy 2021 – now 2023,” she wrote. “It doesn’t happen over night. It didn’t even happen in a year for me. In fact, it’s an on going still working towards ever changing goals kinda thing.”
King went on to explain that her motive for sharing wasn’t vanity, but a desire to shine a light on the impact of physical activity on mental health.
“So why am I sharing this? I fell into a very deep depression during my pregnancy. I also didn’t even realize how intense postpartum depression is and was until I very slowly began to crawl out. I felt trapped in my body. I couldn’t even sing,” she explained. “So I started slow. Metabolic workouts. Light cardio to warm up my body, my lungs, my voice, and my spirit. I am a creature of habit, so I changed my f**king habits. Every few weeks I feel my body getting stronger. I add more workouts, I exercise with @pauldominic_ who is basically a body builder. But if you don’t have one of those then YOU have to be your own champion. Find music you like! Ride a bike! Go for a swim! I thought I wanted to lose weight, but it’s so much more. My BRAIN functions better on the days I move my body.”
I’m glad that Elle is speaking out about what she went through. According to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 7 women will experience postpartum depression. I was fortunate enough to not experience PPD, but have seen women close to me go through it and have struggled with anxiety and depression before. I’m so sorry to anyone out there that has or is experiencing any form of depression right now. You are strong and you are not alone, even if it you don’t feel it right now. I can relate to what Elle says about working out and changing her habits. Exercise and getting into a new routine have always been key factors in helping lift me up. They aren’t the cure, but they can help get you to a place where it doesn’t feel so dark.
I know this gets brought up every time a celebrity shares about a personal struggle, but talking about these things matter. We’re such a prudish society in that so many topics that should be mainstream are often considered taboo, and we’re left feeling ashamed or like we’re suffering alone. Think of how the dam broke after #MeToo or how many people came forward to talk about pregnancy loss after Chrissy Teigen and John Legend lost Jack. After Dobbs, my social media timeline was full of friends and acquaintances sharing their experiences with abortion, which brought mainstream attention to and opened a national conversation about the fact that abortion is healthcare. I am all for breaking stigmas.
