Brady spoke about mental health on his podcast in honor of World Mental Health Day Monday.
Tom Brady is getting candid about maintaining his mental health. During a new episode of his podcast, Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, Brady broached the topic in a special episode aired on World Mental Health Day Monday.
"Everyone has different situations in their life, and children, and you worry about their mental health, you worry about your parents, obviously yourself," Brady began. "I think I've had to learn a lot of things over a long period of time in sports. I think there's an intense amount of stress that we all deal with, and how do you relieve stress so that you're not inflicting so much damage on yourself through kind of stress response? So, something I've always continued to try to work at, and it's obviously a challenge for me -- and different forms of whether it's physical therapy or mental therapy, all those things I've definitely done over the years. Taking care of your body, but taking care of your mind's really important."
Brady's emphasis on his mental health in addition to the care he places on his physical health and diet, has only become more important over the years as he's taken on more responsibilities in his life -- both on and off the field.
"I think there was a part of us where we felt like, 'Suck it up and deal with it,' and I think you realize that there's a lot, especially in today's day and age, with how fast things are happening in life for all of us, and the amount of responsibilities we have," he added. "And also, I think there's part of us that are held to a certain standard that we're almost inhuman. You hear this a lot from people that say, 'I'm only human.' We are only human. We're not inhuman. We're not immune to a lot of the things that just life brings us. We’re not robots."
Like so many others, Brady said he tries to wake up each day and do the best he can in dealing with life and the stress it can sometimes bring.
"You wake up every day trying to do the best you can do, understanding that life has its stresses, and to deal with them with a great support system and understanding, and having some introspectiveness in your life, where you can look at yourself and say, 'Where do I need to commit my time and energy to? And how can I lessen some of the stress and lessen the burden on me so that I can be good for people around me?' So, those are all different things that you work at.'"
It's lifelong work for the 45-year-old football star, who said he started work on managing his mental health in his 20s.
"I worked at them when I was 20. There was a lot of things that I was going through when I was 20. There was a lot of things I was going through in my 30s. There’s things I’m going through in my 40s. And it's life," Brady said. "You learn to grow up and you learn to deal with life. And that’s what we’re all trying to do. We’re trying to do it the best way we can."
Brady's comments about mental health come after reports that he is having a hard time with the idea of potentially losing his family amid Gisele Bündchen divorce rumors.
"Tom isn't taking things well," a source told ET. "He wants to reconcile and was still holding out hope that they could work things out. He is extremely hurt and misses Gisele being by his side. He feels abandoned in a way. He loves his family, but also wants to continue his career. He feels like he is in a tough spot."
The source said that the signs of the supermodel ending her marriage are there, as she has moved forward with retaining a divorce lawyer.
"Gisele has hired a divorce attorney to discuss her future plans," the source added. "At this point, it's more of her decision to move things forward in this direction. Things are a bit difficult, both personally within their family, and because they both have huge assets."
In recent weeks, the supermodel has been seen in public without her wedding ring. Bündchen has also been noticeably absent during games this season, instead, his children have been seen in the stands cheering him on without their mother.
In September, it was also reported that the couple, who first tied the knot in 2009, have not been living together, with a source telling ET that the athlete’s decision to unretire and spend more time away from his family was the root of the issue.
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