After a busy 2016 spent mostly on tour, Carrie Underwood largely stepped away from the spotlight in 2017. Although she still co-hosted the 2017 CMA Awards and made appearances here and there, she did not release any new music, nor did she launch a big tour. In a new interview, the country superstar says it was a year full of reflection -- and some personal struggles.

"It was ... a very soul-searching year for me," Underwood tells Redbook. "There were some personal things that happened. And I had the accident and all of that to get through ... and just life.

"Life is full of ups and downs," Underwood adds, "and I might have had a few more downs than ups last year."

Although Underwood doesn't elaborate on what those "personal things" were, fans are familiar with the accident to which she's referring: In November, shortly after the CMA Awards, Underwood fell outside her home, breaking her wrist and injuring her face to the point that she required dozens of stitches. Although she cautioned fans in January that the accident may have permanently changed her appearance, she now says any differences aren't as big a deal as she thought they'd be.

"I look at myself [now] and I see it quite a bit, but other people are like, 'I wouldn't have even noticed,'" Underwood says. "Nobody else looks at you as much as you think they do. Nobody notices as much as you think they will, so that's been nice to learn."

As Underwood points out, "we're all insecure; that's just called being human." Her advice is to own it and be as confident as you can.

"Even people who seem to be super confident have insecurities that they are dealing with," Underwood says. "Honestly, you just do the best you can. Don't worry about things you can't change."

Underwood is currently gearing up for the release of a new album this fall. Cry Pretty is due out on Sept. 14.

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