Angelina Jolie revealed her life might have been so different if she hadn’t had her six kids — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox — with ex Brad Pitt.

“I was 26 when I became a mother,” the 48-year-old star said in a new interview. “My entire life changed. Having children saved me — and taught me to be in this world differently. I think, recently

, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them.

They’re better than me, because you want your children to be. Of course I’m the mother, and hopefully that safe place for them and that stability. But I’m also the one that they laugh at — and I see them taking over so many different aspects of our family.”

As OK! previously reported, Jolie, who split from Pitt in 2016, also got candid about how she is doing at this point in her life.

“Sometimes the way you dress says, ‘Don’t mess with me — I’ve got my armor on,’” she said of her brand. “But I want a woman to feel safe enough that she can be soft. After I went through something where I was hurt, I had a therapist ask if I would try wearing a flowing garment. Sounds silly, but I assumed that pants and boots projected a ‘tougher’ look, a stronger me. But was I strong enough to be soft? At the time, no. I felt vulnerable. Now I wonder if I don’t know what my style is because I’m still understanding who I am at 48. I guess I’m in transition as a person.”

“I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into,” she continued, adding that she started doing less film work “seven years ago, only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots. We had a lot of healing to do. We’re still finding our footing.”

“Angelina is really embracing her life in NYC. She’s finally moved on,” said the source.