Christina Applegate is clarifying her recent comments about how she no longer “enjoys living” amid her battle with multiple sclerosis.
She made the confession on the June 4 episode of her messy podcast as she talked about battling “real depression” and feeling “stuck in the dark” since being diagnosed with the chronic autoimmune disease in 2021.
‘This is being really honest… I don’t enjoy living. I don’t enjoy it. “I don’t enjoy things anymore,” Applegate, 52, told co-host and fellow MS survivor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 43.
After sparking concern from fans, Applegate felt compelled to clarify her statements in this week’s podcast episode, which was released on Tuesday.
She explained that although she struggles with “dark thoughts,” she finds it “healing” to be able to talk honestly about her mental health.
“I’m going to address something that happened recently… I was talking about some dark things I was thinking and feeling,” the Married With Children star began.
Christina Applegate is clarifying her recent comments about how she no longer “enjoys living” amid her battle with multiple sclerosis; seen in January 2023
‘I feel like when we hold things back we give them power. I also think that a lot of people feel so much shame when they go through mental health issues… and when people repress it, because they’re so afraid to say what they really feel, we give it immense power. ,’ She explained.
Applegate said it bothered her that people made “a big deal” about what she said because it perpetuates a stigma around mental health discussions.
“By making a big deal out of it, you make other people think, ‘Oh shit, I can’t talk about this,'” he explained to listeners. ‘And that’s not right for me. I think it’s important to be able to say these things.
And no, I’m not here on suicide watch, okay? I am not. I’ve never been either. But damn, sometimes dark thoughts come to mind when you’re dealing with something that’s taken a big part of you away.
Applegate continued: “I challenge anyone to be diagnosed with MS or any type of chronic illness that took away who they were before that moment and say, ‘This is great.'” Know?
“No, you have moments where you feel, ‘This is exhausting and I don’t want to do this.'” But you do, and having friends like (Sigler) and my beautiful friends that I have saying this out loud releases the pressure in the balloon, man.
Applegate’s co-host Sigler, who was diagnosed with MS in 2002 when she was just 20, shared that she, too, has struggled with depression and that the illness has made her feel unlovable. wake up some days.
‘I can promise you, Christina, I’ve had times where I’ve prayed I wouldn’t wake up. Where the days felt so hard. He felt so discouraging. It was so scary. It was very overwhelming,” Sigler admitted.
And like you said, it was a moment. It was a moment and they are very real. And you have to express them and get them out.”
Applegate clarified that it’s not that they don’t want to live anymore but that they ‘pray not to wake up (with MS).’
This sparked concern among fans and Applegate felt compelled to clarify her statements on Tuesday’s episode of her podcast.
She explained that although she struggles with ‘dark thoughts’, she finds it ‘healing’ to be able to talk honestly about her mental health; seen in 2022
Applegate said it bothered her that people made “a big deal” about what she said because it perpetuates a stigma around mental health discussions; seen with her daughter Sadie Grace in 2023
‘Of course you want to be there. You know, we have children. We have family. We have loved ones. It’s okay for us to say, “I don’t want to wake up like this,” she continued.
‘This doesn’t work for me. And I want to wake up like I used to.’
Earlier this month, Applegate He described the mental anguish he had been feeling on his podcast, admitting that he had been in a “real” situation depression as he faces his chronic illness.
Christina admitted that she’s been in a “real, fuck everything” depression that has started to scare her.
The episode, which was recorded in early 2024, also saw Christina reflect on her appearance at the Emmys, which she described as the most challenging day of her life.
‘This is being really honest… I don’t enjoy living. I don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy things anymore,’ she admitted.
‘If someone can come and sleep with me and talk, like you have done and like a friend of mine did the other day… that’s nice. “I enjoy it,” Christina added. “But if someone says, ‘let’s get up and go for a walk,’ or ‘let’s go get coffee,’ I say I don’t enjoy that process.”
Jamie, 43, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis, advised her friend to avoid comparing her current state with her past: ‘It’s very difficult to live in a disabled body. It’s very difficult. I won’t take it away from you and I’m right there with you.’ , said.
But what makes it harder is comparing it to how it used to be. “I mean, I still do it all the time, but in the moments where I have a little more acceptance… it takes away a little bit of the suffering,” he continued.
‘Once we get you to this place where we accept that this is how it will be, maybe forever… to me it’s not a good enough reason for you to stop living because I sit here in front of you and you still laugh like no one else. the more you can do it.
‘You still make me smile. You still make me feel loved.
‘I can’t let you give up. I can not do it. I need you to do it for me,” he added. “I hope this podcast also shows you even more of your value and shows yourself how incredibly strong you are and how much you deserve to give yourself a chance,” Sigler said.
Earlier this month, Applegate described the mental anguish she had been feeling on her podcast, admitting that she had been in a “real” depression while dealing with her chronic condition.
The episode, which was recorded in early 2024, also saw Christina, 52, reflect on her appearance at the Emmys, which she described as the most challenging day of her life; in the photo
He said he slept for two days after his Emmy appearance.
Christina continued to describe the state of her mental health, revealing: ‘I’m in a depression right now, and I don’t think I’ve felt that in years. Like real depression, fuck everything.
‘It’s like real depression, which also scares me a little bit because it feels really fatalistic. It really feels like the ‘end of’, you know, I’m not saying that, I’m not referring to that, I just want to say that I’m stuck in this darkness right now and I haven’t felt like this since I don’t even know. How long? Probably about twenty years.
He also called his appearance at the Emmy Awards “the hardest day of my life” and admitted he slept for “two days” after the event.
But Christina is looking for support: She contacted a therapist she planned to see soon.
However, for a long time he had avoided therapy in an attempt to avoid facing his emotions: ‘I have avoided therapy since I was diagnosed because I am so afraid of starting to cry and not being able to stop crying. ‘
“I’m so afraid that those floodgates will open and I won’t be able to stop,” he added.
But Jamie urged her to really feel her emotions: “I feel like you owe it to yourself to cry and really get there… You have to allow yourself to feel those things.” You can’t keep pushing him away, otherwise you will be where you are now. You’re like in purgatory, you know?
Christina was diagnosed with MS in 2021, while Jamie received her diagnosis at age 20.
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