Chelsea Handler Reveals Why She Finally Went to Therapy

Unapologetic and real are sort of a big part of Chelsea Handler’s brand. But in order to live that way authentically, she says she’s had to do the soul-searching, mental health work of therapy to get to a place where she could feel optimistic and positive about her work.

That’s why in an “Open Book” interview with Jenna Bush-Hager to promote the paperback edition of her book, Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and You Too!, Handler said that writing and working on the project was what motivated her to finally go to therapy.

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“I didn’t understand what my contribution was going to be,” Handler said. “I had a real many moments of awareness and clarity that i hadn’t had before where I could see my life a lot more clearly than I had before — and that was my encouragement to go to therapy.”

For Handler, a big motivation was finding ways to be less “doom and gloom” and cultivate a positive, hopeful mindset: “I want to be in a place of purpose. I want to be helping people move the ball forward and so I want to be optimistic.”

“The minute you’re able to get real with yourself is the minute you’re able to get real with everybody,” Handler said, noting though that getting to that place does take work. (Hope is a discipline, after all.)”It takes a lot of work i went to therapy and i did a lot of heavy lifting and I’m sure there’s more to do, I’m taking a break. I did a lot of that work and I had to follow up with doing a lot more of that work: Like, I have to wake up every day and meditate for 20 minutes, I have to control my moods, I have to not be reactive when it’s not appropriate.”

And, ultimately, for Handler, getting a handle on her mental health and becoming informed about how to manage her emotions has been an empowering and life-changing experience:

“It’s so empowering because the minute you’re able to get real with yourself is the minute you’re able to get real with everybody and then all the noises in our head, the voices in our head kind of subside,” she said. “It’s so important to take power and control over ourselves because that kind of confidence and that kind of groundedness you can’t fake and when people see it they know it.”

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Before you go, check out our list of the best and most affordable mental health apps:

Launch Gallery: These Celebrities Are Totally Open About Seeking Therapy

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