I usually read a book or write.
I give a shot to stay as creative as possible.
I do a lot of screenwriting; I have a project.
Courtesy Images; Illustration by Bella Geraci
That helps me stay in a good place mentally.
That and just time with our dogs and each other.
Weve built a little family here with our pups.
Courtesy of Nick Jonas
“As a key in 1 diabetic, I am constantly on the hunt for my healthiest life.
I was diagnosed at 13 years old.
I have now had it for longer than I havent.
Courtesy of Jonathan Van Ness
[Wellness and diabetes are] definitely in constant conversation.
Then there’s the day-to-day grind of living with this disease.
That really does have an effect on you emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Timothy White
There are a lot of things that are out of your control.
It’s going to be alright.”
It could be our spiritual practice; it could be a physical practice.
Shelby Duncan
It could be saying, ‘I need to take a bath before I respond to that email.’
“When I don’t get to consistently move my body, my mental health suffers.
I feel more anxious.
Courtesy of Padma Lakshmi
I do yoga, which is my moving meditation.
When I first got turned onto it [at 19], I had just finished hair school.
Then I found yoga.
Courtesy of Kang Daniel
The first six years of my yoga practice were really rigid.
I had to do it every day.
I have a much different relationship with my practice now.
Courtesy of Huda Kattan
In those first years, something that would be classically considered wellness became this crutch.
I really didn’t have peace.
I did not have stillness if I didn’t go to yoga.
Courtesy of Emma Chamberlain
“Obviously, everyone who has HIV has a different way that they came to living with HIV.
For me, it was a lot of repetitively self-destructive behavior.
It’s getting real.'
Courtesy of Jackson Wang
It did reprioritize my whole life.
Talking to my therapist once a week is a huge part of my wellness.
“Growing up, going to the mall was huge, and there was Bath & Body Works.
Courtesy of Julianne Hough
I can create a little world in my bathroom that is for me, and no one knows it!
I loved the science behind skin care.
I started getting back into it in my earlier 20s.
Laura Metzler Photography
Then the wheels fell offHIV, addiction, compulsivity, oh, my God.
I started doing affirmations while doing skin care: ‘I am worthy of love.’
Or, ‘I accept myself completely.’
Courtesy of Camila Coelho
Or, ‘I am capable.’
Skin care is also self-care because it gives me so much joy.
Coconut Milk Bath Soak by Herbivoreholy shit!
Courtesy of Shay Mitchell
[Van Ness is a celebrity ambassador for Biossance.]
“Sometimes it’s hard to wrap your mind around this esoteric idea of wellness.
It’s just not like that.
Raen Badua
There are times when it’s easier, but our life isn’t stagnant; everything changes.
Are these the relationships I want to have?'”
No matter where you’re at, you’ve got to find one thing.
Marsin Mogielski
“There are things in the life of women that we always have to think about.
From the age of 10 to 60, you have to think, Can I wear white pants?
The answer is noyou just have to stop wearing them.
Courtesy of Terri Bryant
“I have migraines.
For years, you venture to find ways to make the pain stop.
Migraines don’t care what you have to do.
Courtesy of Genevieve Padalecki
They just come on and can really wreak havoc in your life.
You’re always trying to figure out, What do I do?
You’re always on a kind of wooden plank that is very movable.
Courtesy of Kim Caruthers
“Wellness means that I am not panicking about not feeling well.
I learned two years ago that you have to pay attention to how you feel.
I got very, very sick and almost died, and ended up in the hospital for a month.
Courtesy of Marc Lowenberg
I had general pneumonia with sepsis.
It was kind of crazy.
That’s kept me from fooling around [with my health].
So I just find that the key to wellness is paying attention to what’s happening in your system.
Though I still am not a big fan of the dentist, I do have to go.
Khloe Kardashian came onto the show that I do, talking about Nurtec ODT [for migraines].
And I was like, ‘Okay, just tell me, does it really work?’
And I tell you that the ODT works, at least within an hour [for me].
I’m a huge fan of it.
When something comes along that can make the day better, I get excited.
I don’t have to hide in closets trying to find darkness or trying to keep stuff out.
This really kind of shored me up.
Anything that makes me not afraid to go out and face the day is wellness.”
SINGER, SONGWRITER,SUCH PRETTY FORKS IN THE ROADOn wholeness, depression, and anxiety.
Morissette is currently on tour celebrating 25 years ofJagged Little Pill.
“Wellness, to me, doesn’t mean perfection or living by a standard that is unrealistic.
Wellness has a lot to do with the word ‘wholeness.’
It’s sort of staying connected to self, God, and other.
I’m a big fan of Internal Family Systems by Richard Schwartz.
I had a panic attack yesterday.
I just went, boom, right into my tool kit.
Okay, what do I do here?
I quickly ran a bathepsom salts, magnesium, lavender.
Call in all the special ops!
Pretty much every journal I have, if you bring up the front page, it’s the pie.
“My life pie includesI’m just going to draw it while I’m talkingfamily and friends.
Body: somatic experiencing, trauma recovery.
Spirit: It’s really silence.
With three children under 11, I’ve been known to go into my closet a lot.
I’ve written songs in my closet on the ground in the dark.
Where I can go for a few minutes just to catch my breath, recharge my batteries.'
“Then there’s being expressed.
So much of my depression comes from my not expressing sadness, grief, and anger.
“Marriage is a big one.
I have been shamed for looking after my money and shamed for not looking after my money.
it’s possible for you to’t win!
So I just keep showing up.
“Brain rest: binge-watching TV.
Floating, wandering time.
So just time to sit.
Easier said than done last year with three kids schooling at homemy eyes are crossed!
“Another one is to verify that I am in the public eye being of service.
I also have each child in one of the life pies.
“Grooming: That’s a big one for me.
“I’m a bit of an essential oil apothecary alchemist.
I line up five bottles of delicious essential oils and then do deep breaths with each one.
Sometimes I feel like passing out, but that breath work is life-giving.
Penny Frances Apothecary makes truly beautiful products, [like] the Rose Geranium and Hibiscus Botanical Mist.
Living Libations by Nadine Artemis: She rules.
I’m a balm queen.
One I love is by Monasterythe Attar Floral Repair Concentrate.
“Next, movement, of any kind.
What feels really organic for me is Pilates and stretching.
Taking care of home.
It could just be puttering.
I think puttering is next to Godliness.
Bouncing between student and teacher.
I’m learning everything about cryptocurrency [right now].
And about the body, because I’m kind of obsessed with anatomy.
Where is that stomach?
And where does that colon go?
you’re able to’t swing a dirty sock without hitting piles of books everywhere.
“And I do blood work.
Every three months or so, Ill see where my vitamin levels arevitamin D, vitamin everything.
I watch it like a hawk.
It’s the worst, but that light on the other end of the tunnel is super gleaming.
I’m constantly keeping an eye on my progesterone and hormone levels.
“When I think about wellness, I think, What is the opposite?
For me, it’s disconnection from the parts within me and from my relationships.
I’ve never not had a therapist, and I credit therapists for my still being alive.
Cultivating that muscle of going inside [myself] has been life-giving, because I’m terrified.
I don’t want to go inside.
There is a lot of grief in there.
There is a lot of pain.
I’m pacing myself, certainly.”
“Eating a mostly plant-based diet helps me feel balanced and healthy.
I’ve loved cooking with Krishna since she was a toddler.
I wanted to write [Tomatoes for Neela] to teach kids about where their food comes from.
Because when you come to a point when you don’t trust yourself, it’s really dangerous.
If you close up your heart, it’s just so hard to overcome [depression] by yourself.
“I’m working out a lot more.
I’m hanging out with my friends more.
In the past, I was a lot more pessimistic.
I’m a very simple guy.
Good things are good things.
For me, that’s what wellness is about.”
I have always loved pressure, stress, and moving fast.
But a lot of times it causes you to ignore what it’s doing to your body.
You’re running on adrenaline every day and that’s not healthy.
I never used to say no to anything.
I say no to a majority of things now.
I need to prioritize doing what’s right for me and my family long-term.
It was hard figuring out how to cope with it.
There is such little information and awareness about it.
It wasn’t until I went public with the diagnosis that I really felt liberated.
I no longer felt like I was hiding or embarrassed of an uncontrollable condition.
Then the coping process gets easier.
I really encourage discussing your conditions.
I’ve also been reading books, which is new for me, but extremely calming and enjoyable.
I make it a priority to go on walks and exercise.
I make a run at stay off my phone.
I have to stay connected to reality or else I feel out of control.
Once I started doing all of that, my life almost immediately improved.
This is rarely true.
Mental health struggles are far from linear.
Sometimes you will feel almost unaffected, other times you will be stuck in bed for days.
The first step to true wellness for me was accepting that.
Wellness is a combination of resting when you need it and using your energy wisely when you have it.
Once you find that balance, life feels a lot more manageable.”
Eating everything your mom makes and puts in front of you, because that’s happiness.
“I start my day with a routine: vitamins, a morning face pack, quiet time.
If I’m off that day, I usually hit the gym.
Reflecting back, my parents' decision shows that our well-being all looks different.
We don’t fit into one mold.
“It’s easy not to take care of yourself.
Like any other area, you have to carve out time.
Every day I make a run at be present for myself.”
When I say I am ‘well,’ I’ve reframed it to mean balanced and neutral.
Our bodies need to recover and rest.
“I set rituals and routines that help me stay balanced and motivated.
It just depends what I’m feeling.
Yup, that’s right, I give a shot to do all of that without checking my phone.
It helps me stay connected without getting distracted first thing in the morning.
Whether for me or to let them know they are supported.
Dinner is usually an experience with candles.
Bedtime is all about rituals tooreading, meditating, praying, journaling.
“My transformational journey really began in 2013.
Thats when I learned about belief systems, social structures, and trauma-related behavior.
I was able to reframe a lot of what Ithoughtbrought me happinessit was really creating more anxiety and loneliness.
It was time to move through past traumas and wounds.
I found the best way for me to move through this process was through the body.
“Life really is about finding a balance in all.
I always take a stab at find ‘well’ in all that I do.”
If I’m feeling more tired than usual one day, I will listen to my body and rest.
I’ve also followed a plant-based diet ever since my diagnosis to help with alleviating symptoms.
[Sjogrens syndrome most commonly causes dry eyes and mouth.]
It’s really been trial and error for me.
I’ll go outside and call my mom.
I love going to the beach.
Riding my horses is one of my biggest joys.
When I’m with them, I feel like I don’t need anything else in the world.
What is it that I’m going through?
“There was a moment in my life when I thought, professionally, I had everything I wanted.
But in my heart, I knew I wasn’t fully happy.
I was having a lot of anxiety.
I needed to prioritize doing things that I love, small moments of being with family.
That’s really what helpedspeaking to friends and family and people who dealt with this on a professional level.
Just to really feel like I wasn’t alone.
Other people have gone through this, even though I thought I was the only one.
[Mitchell was a spokesperson for the campaign.]
I’m definitely going to be calling my grandma.
We do this thing where we FaceTime and do chair exercises.
I may extend her exercises.”
I love going to the movies.
I love to read.
I love to put my feet in somethinggrass, sand, or water.
I had someone tell me once, ‘Hey, you’re not a robot.
Youre not expected to write something amazing every single day.’
If you should probably take a day for yourself, you should.
“‘Me time’ is essential.
Those moments for me look like taking a bath or a long shower.
I think the noise of the water running is the thing that helps me relax.
I love taking drives by myself.
I also learned to rationalize with myself when I’m feeling fearful.
I also don’t think I would have been able to do my own world tour.
Stage fright is something that still really plagues me.”
It was just horrible, horrible periods from the very first one.
I threw up in an exam hall.
I moved to America for college, [where] a lot of doctors didn’t believe me.
They thought I wanted drugs or something.
It was torturous, chronic pain every month.
I’ve been in and out of hospitals.
Hopefully, one day I’ll find some relief.
I’m going to look into Transcendental Meditation.
I think mind, body, and spirit create a person; vitality is also part of it.
Even if I’m 90 years old, I’ll still be trying.”
While that is important, it’s not the whole story.
I set goals for each day centered on what feeds my mind, body, and spirit.
I bookend my days by verbalizing what I am thankful for.
One constant is spending time moving with my loved ones.
Walking our dog or doing yoga and kickboxing with my husband.
Each day ends the way it started, with being thankful.
This practice has helped me manage the inevitable ups and downs in life.
That doesn’t mean that I am insulated from day-to-day stressors.
“My life completely changed once I was diagnosed with anxiety.
I started to really move so I could encourage my mind to be quiet.
I can’t just move because this is my job or I’m helping clients.
My intention every time I move is actually to make me feel better emotionally.
I started taking walks.
I would go to the park and bring my exercise mat and do pilates.
Just a change of scenery, looking at things that are beautiful.
“And with that, I started to look better.
Yeah, because my purpose is different and my focus is different.
And once I started to move more, I just started to feel better.”
As a result, my concept of wellness totally changed.
Over this past year, one of my biggest changes was breathing.
It is almost like it puts your body into a meditative state.
By triggering the parasympathetic nervous system, you are actually reducing stress or anxiety.
When you get excited or rageful or upset, these breathing exercises calm you down.
A year and three months after having COVID, I feel 20 years younger and so much healthier.
I attribute it to these breathing exercises.
“When I was a long-hauler, I would say that it put me into a low-level depression.
When you don’t feel well, you start getting depressed over it.
I started feeling better physically, and that affects you emotionally.
It has totally turned me around in terms of how take care of myself.”
