Kendall Jenner may feel fortunate for her modeling career, but she’s not shy about acknowledging its challenges. On the August 1 episode of Emma Chamberlain’s Anything Goes podcast, the 28-year-old model opened up about the impact her job sometimes has on her mental well-being. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the key takeaways from her interview, including her career’s highs, lows, and ways she manages her anxiety.
On the realities of modeling…
‘I’m not gonna sit here and say that I’ve had the toughest journey,” Jenner told the host when asked about the reality of modeling. “I think I’ve been extremely fortunate. But I also have had my own set of challenges, whether it’s [being] overworked or not getting a job that I would’ve really loved to get.”
She candidly discussed the loneliness that often accompanies her career, too. “I’ve had really dark nights where I’ve been in random cities and just hysterically crying myself to sleep because I haven’t been home in three months and I’ve been pretty much alone the entire time—or I’m on a job and something really crazy happens at home that I would love to be there for and I’m being told I can’t be.”
Despite these lows, Jenner remains appreciative of the opportunities her career has provided. “When I look back on the time that I’ve had with it so far, it is a really beautiful thing to be able to travel the world the way I have. I probably would have never traveled the way I have or the amount that I have had I not had this job. I’ve met really amazing people, a lot of my friends are because of this job, a lot of cool creative people, a lot of inspiration in my life is all because of my job.”
On managing anxiety…
Another topic she touched on is her daily routines for managing stress. Chamberlain asked Jenner what things she does throughout the day to help quell her anxiety. “It’s not a one-size fits all journey,” Jenner said. “I think it’s so much about finding what calms your nervous system, recognizing it, putting it in a notepad somewhere and being like, ‘these are the things that calm me, these are the things that make me worse and give me anxiety.'”
Speaking about her anxiety isn’t brand-new to her. In May, she opened up with Vogue about how she gets panic attacks and admitted that she was having a tough bout with anxiety at the time. “In my career right now I feel really stable, really hopeful,” she told the outlet. “But I’ve had a tough two months. I haven’t been myself, and my friends see it. I’m more sad than usual. I’m way more anxious than usual.
So I’m not going to sit here and act like everything’s perfect. That’s life—I’m always going to be in and out of those feelings. In past interviews, when someone’s asked me about my mental state, it’s always been, ‘I’m great right now, but this is what I’ve dealt with.’ Well, right now I’m actually in it.”
