Heidi Montag reveals how she protected her mental health during the LA fires — and the moment that had her ‘hysterically crying’

Heidi Montag has had a year — and it’s only May.

The 38-year-old reality star says the emotions still “come in waves” since the house she had with husband Spencer Pratt and their two kids burned down in the LA wildfires in January.

But in a sit-down with The Post, Montag got choked up talking about how grateful she is for the way fans have shown support — and how focusing on the good is one of her top mental health tricks.

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First off, she’s convinced that facing her feelings head-on has made a major different.

“I think that I mentally and emotionally dealt with everything during the time [of the fires], and I was able to really grieve during the time, and take a few minutes to myself and pray a lot,” she said. “Because I didn’t want to stuff things down and have it come up later, I wanted to be able to work through it when I could.”

She encouraged that in her kids Gunner, 7, and Ryker, 2-and-a-half, too.

“If they were feeling a little upset, I’d be like, ‘So how do you feel?’ And trying to help them go through it and not stuff their emotions and pretend they have to be OK too,” she said.

“I just feel so much love and kindness from people that I didn’t think existed, especially for Spencer and I.”

Heidi Montag

“It’s definitely a balance of not like losing it in front of your kids all the time, but also showing it’s OK to be sad, and we’re all going through this together,” Montag added.

A huge boon to her well-being has been the way fans have come out in droves to show their support — something she and Spencer didn’t expect given the way their characters were received on “The Hills.”

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“I just feel so much love and kindness from people that I didn’t think existed, especially for Spencer and I, and it’s just really gotten us [through],” she said.

“It has really just been amazing to see that,” Montag continued, tearing up. “And to see, like, people are so good and are so kind and really rally behind us, which we’ve never felt the support before.”

One moment with a stranger who felt like a mother figure opened the floodgates.

“She was just like, ‘Can I give you a hug?’ And I just started hysterically crying. I was like, ‘Yes!’ It just was what I needed,” Montag recalled.

Watching her 2010 album, “Superficial,” shoot to No. 1 on iTunes was also pretty “amazing.”

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“I’m just so appreciative to that, and I know it’s the people and it’s the ‘group project,'” she said.

“It’s not a record label that’s pushing me in pain to make me number one. It’s actual people who love and support and care for us, and that means the world.”

“Life can be so hard, but there’s always good — even if it’s a little thing, like a cup of tea.”

Heidi Montag

Her career has certainly been lighting up once again — in addition to putting out new songs and music videos, she’s been racking up partnership deals with different brands.

Most recently, she’s teamed up with the supplement drink brand Relax shots with a pair of funny videos.

And she certainly doesn’t take it for granted: Montag said she’s big on counting her blessings.

“Life can be so hard, but there’s always good — even if it’s a little thing, like a cup of tea,” she said.

“You just focus on the warm tea. Or ‘I have heat in my house.’ It’s just going to the basics of life and being appreciative if you have a great friend or family.”

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She also turns to prayer, saying she meditates on Philippians 4:8 when she is having a hard time.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things,” Montag said.

“No matter how hard life is, there can always be good, and you can always choose your thoughts,” she said.