Candace Cameron Bure got emotional while reflecting on her struggle with depression. The 47-year-old actress shared a clip from a recent episode of her podcast in which she got candid about feeling “shame” over opening up about her feelings to others. She told author Jennie Allen, “[Depression] is such a lonely place, and it’s very difficult to speak out about it, even to your most trusted people.”
She added, “It’s hard to admit it, at least for me, I feel like, because I should be strong enough to overcome that and then it just feels weak. It just feels so weak. And the perception of that. And I’ll also say that there are a lot of people who feel that it’s weak and will verbalize that. So, then it’s just immediate shame that you’re like, ‘Oh, well if I struggle with this then I’m weak person.’ Yet there’s so many times when I’m like, ‘I don’t want to feel this way.’ I can try with all of my might to get out of this, and I can’t pull myself out of the pit. I can’t pull myself out by myself. But it’s hard to extend the arm and go, ‘Help me.’”
Bure wrote in the caption of the emotional video, “We’ve been going through feelings and emotions this season on the @candacecameronburepodcast. This week @jennieallen and I touched on how depression has impacted our lives, and how to overcome it.” She added before sharing a quote from the Bible, “If you struggle with sadness or depression, please know you are not alone. Psalm 34:17-18 says, ‘When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.’”
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The Great American Family chief creative officer previously shared how exercise had helped her in her battle with depression during a Q&A with The Salvation Army Midland Division. She said, “I have loved this journey of fitness. I feel stronger at 45 than I did when I was 20 years old. It’s just every time you get stronger, or I see my muscles from doing more pushups, it keeps me going to want to do more and just keep that up. Really another big part why fitness is important for me is it’s so beneficial to my mental health. I juggle, as we all do, a lot of plates. I not only juggle my family but also work in a lot of different capacities.”
Bure added, “It can get really difficult. The travel can get strenuous as well. I need to keep my mental health clear. Just sweating that out and all those endorphins really help me a lot. I notice a huge difference when I don’t exercise, how much it can affect me mentally and kind of deal with depression. That’s why I keep going. There are a lot of benefits I get. My mind is most important, and exercise definitely helps that.”
The “My Christmas Hero” star also explained how she overcomes challenging times by leaning on her faith. She said, “I’m a woman of faith and always have been a woman of faith. My faith is not something I dig into when times are tough. It’s always a part of me, no matter what. But I couldn’t go through those tough times without my faith. I find it almost shocking that anyone can because Jesus and the word of God give us so much hope and longing that there is something else ahead and beyond this life.”
She continued, “That is incredibly powerful. I’m as much a faithful woman during the hard times as in the celebratory times, just praising and thanking God for all the good things, like I woke up today and am breathing.”