Focusing on herself. Kendall Jenner has opened up about her struggle with anxiety over the years, revealing how she’s worked to keep her mental health in balance.
“I have struggled with anxiety for years and it can have good and bad days,” the Kardashians star told Vogue in an August 2022 interview. “If I need to wind down, I really make a point to take 15 minutes to meditate to settle my anxiety so I can get a good night’s rest.”
Jenner revealed that she tries to “drink tea and relax by reading a book” or writing in her journal to try and curb the insomnia she suffers during the late hours.
The influencer, who joined her family’s first reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, in 2007, has often been vocal about the mental health challenges she faced after being thrust into the spotlight and working non-stop as a fashion model.
Speaking with i-D magazine in February 2022, the Hulu star noted that she still struggles with panic attacks, depression and feelings of anxiety, but began keeping a journal as a coping mechanism.
“It’s important to have a space that’s just for you where you can let out your happiness. Your anger, frustrations, and stress, the things that are freaking you out, the things that are making you happy and even just ideas,” she told the publication, adding that her journal was an “old-fashioned” diary she locks and puts away when she’s not using it.
In addition to writing out her feelings, the 818 Tequila founder also makes time for reading. “I was having a panic attack two nights ago, and I was just like, ‘Oh, but you know what? I’m just going to pick up this book and try to forget,'” she said, adding that she’s in the midst of reading Colleen Hoover‘s It Ends With Us.
In addition to talking about her experience and sharing her troubles on TV, Jenner has also opened up on social media. The reality star often posts calming photos or videos with captions that encourage her followers to engage in mindfulness practices along with her.
“I’ve had some down time these last couple days and sometimes I find it hard to wind down,” Jenner shared via a carousel of Instagram videos and images of her self-care tools in June 2022. She listed a series of activities that “help me be more present and quiet my mind.”
Her favorites include “workouts/ nature walks, being with my animal children, meditation/ my sound bowls :), journaling” and “organizing.” She went on to encourage her fans to find the rituals that speak to them. (Jenner has two dogs, Pyro and Mew, as well as a snake named Son.)
Scroll down to see everything Jenner has said about her mental health and how she copes:
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1 of 9
January 2018
The model opened up to Harper’s Bazaar about her intense anxiety and the impact it’s had on her professional life. "I feel like the life I live is extraordinary in a lot of ways but that it also comes with a lot of responsibilities," she said in an interview with the outlet.
"I've had to grow up pretty fast and deal with situations most 22-year-olds aren't really put into." The former E! personality added: "There are days and weeks and months when you just don't stop. If something isn't going the way I planned, I freak out. Some days I just want to go live on a farm and not talk to anyone and just exist in the middle of nowhere."
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
2 of 9
May 2020
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenner opened up about how not having “much going on” began to make her anxious. “To calm myself down I usually read a book or meditate, or even sit outside and enjoy nature or something. I’m off and on,” she noted via Instagram at the time.
“I will say my bad days aren’t the greatest. I’m trying to get through them, I’m trying to find my little remedies and not feel alone.”
Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP/Shutterstock
3 of 9
May 2021
The supermodel, who’s often graced the cover of Vogue, spoke to the outlet for their video series “Open Minded” about having “shortness of breath” even at a young age. “In hindsight, now I know that that was obviously anxiety,” she shared, sitting down with Dr. Ramani Durvasula to discuss social anxiety and how to manage symptoms.
“There [are] going to be those people that say, ‘What does she have to worry about? What does she have to be anxious about?’ And I’ll never sit here and say I’m not fortunate…[but] I’m still a human being at the end of the day,” Jenner continued. “And no matter what someone has or doesn’t have, it doesn’t mean they don’t have real-life feelings and emotions.”
Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
4 of 9
February 2022
Talking with i-D magazine, the tequila mogul detailed her panic attacks and how she learned to cope through reading and journaling as a “form of distraction.”
"I just love having things that are for me and no one else, you know? I feel like reading is one of those things,” she shared.
Credit: NINA PROMMER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
5 of 9
April 2022
The California native opened up to her followers about dealing with the stress via Instagram. "Happy monday y'all! My anxiety (especially social anxiety) has been on 100 lately," she began in the caption.
"I've come to a place where I don't feel bad about it. I love my space and my alone time." Alongside a clip featuring her serene-looking backyard, Jenner added, "I am finding ways to help me start my day off with a calmer, more positive mindset."
Credit: Courtesy Kendall Jenner/Instagram
6 of 9
June 2022
The West Coast resident shared another image via Instagram to share how her pets have also helped her “quiet [her] mind.”
“Go outside, pick up a new hobby, hug someone you love, keep a smile on yuh face! Great thing[s] are coming to you,” she wrote with a video of her meditating poolside in a bikini. She also posted an image of her “Wellness Journal,” which was engraved with her nickname, “Kenny.”
Credit: Courtesy Kendall Jenner/Instagram
7 of 9
August 2022
Jenner shared with Vogue that she makes it “a point” to meditate before bedtime in order to quell those anxious feelings and settle into alignment for a good night’s rest.
Credit: Frank Micelotta/Shutterstock
8 of 9
September 2022
During an appearance on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast, Jenner opened up about making the decision to step back from modeling in 2019 in order to look after her mental health. "I just knew that if I had gone any further, I was going to lose myself. I was on the teeter-totter edge where, had I gone any further, I was probably not going to be [in a good place]," she explained. "It was so important to me to feel good that I knew it was something I needed to do."
The businesswoman added that while there were "so many" people in her life who didn't want her to take a break, she ultimately knew that she needed to set boundaries. "I got to that point and I knew I had to do it," Jenner said. "It was just such an unbelievable sensation where I felt like, 'If I do this, I'm going to be better for everyone.'"
Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
9 of 9
November 2022
"The weirdest part about anxiety and panic attacks is they just come sometimes for me and there's no rhyme or reason. I didn't invite it. It just happens," the model explained during a November 2022 episode of The Kardashians.
Credit: Courtesy of Hulu