‘I Can’t Do This By Myself’: How Savannah Chrisley Overcame Dark Moments
By Movieguide® Contributor
CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST star Savannah Chrisley is opening up about her struggles with mental health and how she overcame those dark moments.
“There are things that led to me reaching an all-time low that I finally got to a point where I was like, alright, I can’t do this anymore,” she said during an episode of the “Adversity Advantage” podcast. “That was one time at 15 and then again at 18 and then at 22 I finally started going to therapy. It wasn’t until I was 22 years old that I was like, alright, I need to go to therapy. I can’t do this by myself.”
Chrisley explained that when she was 15, she swallowed a whole bottle of pain pills.
“I never struggled with addiction,” she explained. “At that time, I was 15. And you really don’t know at 15 if you’re going to end your life what that looks like. I think for me, it was just a moment where I wanted to be heard, and I was so afraid of being honest about the things I was struggling with that I was like, alright, I just want to be heard.”
She emphasized that taking the pills was about being heard and not about being an addict.
“I think that was the biggest thing for me because I’ve never been one, and I think because addiction does run in my family, I’ve always been very conscientious of that and of not going down that avenue,” Chrisley said. “I like to think I have a strong mindset of, ‘I’m not going to do that, and I don’t do it.’”
During her struggle with depression, she turned to God after receiving a devotional.
“And the devotional was Romans 8:28, and it stated that through whatever hardships and adversities you go through, God’s gonna turn around and use it to your advantage, and it was literally like, in a snap of a finger, I went from this anger towards God, to in my heart saying, ‘All right, God, you know what, why not me?’ Like, what makes me any better to have to go through these things than anyone else?” she said, per ET.
Today, Chrisley is taking care of her brother Grayson, 17, and niece Chloe, 11, as her parents serve time in prison for tax fraud. Becoming their guardian has made her rethink her views of parenthood.
“I always used to say I will have however many kids God will allow. That was my viewpoint,” she explained. “I don’t know, I think when you’re young, you think kids are easy, right? No. After having Chloe and Grayson, if anything, it slowed my timeline down on things. But I always said God meant for me to be a mom. If I don’t do anything right with my life, that’s going to be the one thing that I do right.”
Chrisley continued, “I think, if anything, it’s just made me realize that when that time does come for me to have kids, every little decision matters and impacts your child.”
In a recent Instagram post, she showed gratitude for her life with Grayson and Chloe, writing, “Beyond blessed and grateful! God is good! Love growing up raising these kiddos!!”
Movieguide® previously reported on Chrisley’s role as “bonus parent” for her brother and niece:
Savannah Chrisley took to Instagram to share the joys and hardships of being a “bonus parent” for her younger brother and niece.
“What my world spins around,” she began her Instagram post. “I’m not their mom. I’m not their dad. I’m their sister and I get to love and guide them through life.”
“Being a bonus parent is TOUGH…no one could ever add up to their parents. But these kiddos have shown me so much love, patience, grace, understanding, and appreciation!” Chrisley continued. “Helping to raise these two kiddos is the hardest but most rewarding job I will ever have.”
“I always said, ‘God meant for me to be a mama!’…little did I know, the journey would start a little sooner than expected! But luckily, I have had THE MOST AMAZING mama in the world to learn from! Because of her I can do this!” she shared.
“Chloe and Gray…YOU ARE MY LIFE! Thank you for letting me love you and thank you for loving me back,” she ended her post.
