In an interview with People, the star shared more about how she has been coping with a challenging time in her life.
Bündchen and Brady finalised their divorce in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage.
She said along with the spilt with Tom, father of her children Ben, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10, she was also privately dealing with two ailing parents.
“It’s been very tough on my family. It’s been a lot – in every area of my life,” she said. “I feel like whenever it rains, it pours. With all the different twists and turns that life takes, all we can do is the best we can given what happens in our surroundings.”
The Brazilian-born star had dealt with moving her family for Brady’s final seasons of football but has since permanently settled in Miami, Florida, enrolling her children in local schools.
She says in the midst of the personal challenges and since turning 40, she has adopted an increasingly heathy lifestyle.
Meditation, daily exercise, giving up alcohol and a dedication to wellness through nutrition have become coping mechanisms helping her through the tumultuous time in her life. Bündchen also revealed she had previously overcome a struggle with crippling panic attacks, anxiety and depression in her 20s.
“I work out every single day,” she says, noting a mix of walks, yoga and weights.
“I think if I didn’t have all the different tools that I have to support me during these times, it would’ve been very hard,” she says. “And I think we all can relate to that, because I think we all have gone through our roller coasters of life.”
The model says stopping drinking in order to sleep better and be ‘more present’ in particular, has had a big impact.
“Right after I turned 40, actually, I felt a huge difference between when I had the glass of wine and when I didn’t have the glass of wine,” she told People.
“It’s socially accepted to have a glass of wine. And people even say, ‘Oh, it’s healthy for you.’ Well, it is not healthy for me. If you want to ask of your body what I ask of my body, which is a lot, I can’t be having all these things (alcohol, caffeine) because they add up.”
Meditation also helped her to ‘take a step back’ and deal with her experiences in a positive manner.
“ It can allow you to take a breath and come in from a place where it’s not reactive, but it’s more proactive. You’re like, okay, let me assess.”
