Unwinding is Yahoo Life’s wellness series where experts, influencers, and celebrities share their approaches to wellness and mental healthfrom self-care rituals to setting healthy boundaries to mantras that keep them alive.
Celebrities, they are just like us. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness—that means your favorite actors, athletes, musicians, TikTok stars, and influencers are also struggling. And as studies show, the more influencers open up and share their mental health journeys, the more they can help destigmatize that it’s okay to not be okay. That’s the premise behind Yahoo Life’s interview series Unwinding – o have honest conversations with public figures about what they may be dealing with in private and discover the resources they have in their toolkits to help them cope. From setting boundaries on social media to going barefoot in nature to feel connected to the earth, we’ve learned what helps people stay grounded. So, before 2022 takes off, here are some of the thoughtful moments your favorite stars shared with us this year.
When starting therapy and meditation
“If I didn’t have therapy now I’d probably be doing therapy on these streets.”Tiffany Haddish
“The therapy is great. I talk to my therapist and I can open up, so I’m not just going to my partner, my brothers or friends who probably don’t need to hear this. It’s nice to talk to someone, a professional” – Joe Jonas
“It’s about deserving peace and happiness. I chose myself, my peace of mind. “I’m very proud of myself because a few years ago I was neglecting my mental health and a good friend of mine told me I needed therapy,” she says. “One of my friends had been telling me the importance of therapy for about four or five years [made excuses not to go] but he was persistent. I give him a lot of credit for his advice – and for letting me see the importance and guiding me in the direction [of therapy]”- Tia Mowry
I had to go to therapy — it really wasn’t my choice,” she tells Yahoo Life. “I tried going to several different therapists and couldn’t trust any of them. And then the only therapist I trusted was the one who just asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And I said, “Well, I’m an actress. That’s what I want to do. That’s me.” – Odelia Halevi
That’s why I swear by Transcendental Meditation. It changed my life, changed my mood. Whenever I meditate, whether it’s once a day or twice a day, I feel like I’ve found two extra hours in the day that came out of nowhere, or that I’ve taken a two-hour nap—but I just had a 20-minute meditation.”- Katy Perry
About setting boundaries with social media
“It’s a battle, it’s important to be aware of what’s real and what’s not.” Because when you’re on Instagram and you’re scrolling, and you know, this person has this, or this person booked this job, and we’re “judging them again, or we’re judging ourselves, comparing ourselves, and I had to let go of that,” he says. Tran. “Rarely do people post about their bad days or what they’re going through. So everyone’s life looks like glitter and gold.” –Karrueche Tran
“Social media is so curated, people think you have to be happy all the time,” she says of her feelings on her platform. “And it’s like, if you’re not happy all the time, why would you show it? But it’s like people act like they’re not crying. People act like they’re not upset about things. And the fact that I choose to show that it’s, for me, useful. If it’s happening to me online, I kind of want to work it out online, you know? It’s not like a cry for help and it’s not to feel sorry for. Just, like, normalize it. So, I it’s helpful to sort things out on the Internet, and I like to work things out in my craft and through my creativity.” – Lizo
“I realized that social media … was very unhealthy for me mentally,” he told Yahoo Life. “I don’t know about other people, but my brain is not designed to see thousands of responses to me. Even if they’re all positive, it’s really overwhelming. So I would say something and then you have pages and pages and pages of answers and there will be a hundred good ones and one negative one. The only one I would remember was the negative one, but even all the positive ones would make me feel angry and out of control and really beside myself. And so I realized that social media was largely negative for me.” Kumail Nanjiani
On the importance of physical activity for their mental well-being
“I’ll build anything – I don’t care if it’s sticks of butter,” the father-of-four adds with a laugh. “Just something to take my mind off the outside world, because we face so much ridicule and judgment and so many questions. At what point do you step away from that and just take care of yourself? So I use those things to kind of take care of my mental [health]” – Anthony Mackie
“For me, the way I deal with anxiety and stress is through physical activity – I know it’s an easy, happy cure and not everyone is so lucky – but I know that if I can sweat every day, it significantly reduces the amount of anxiety or stress I feel. “I also think that prioritizing sleep really helps,” says Nash. “A few days or a week of bad sleep, I’m more open to stress or anxiety affecting my days. For me, exercise—especially through the things I love to do and love to play soccer and tennis—changes my mood. , curbs my anxiety. It gives me energy!”- Steve Nash
On breaking harmful stigmas
“Being a young person, it’s always harder to express yourself that way because of the taboo and stigma behind it. “As young men, we are taught a different way of communicating that actually hinders our evolution and our progress,” he says. “I think men or boys hear the word ‘vulnerable’ and see it as weakness. – Kevin Love
“I think for so long, black women in particular always hold everyone else down and we forget about ourselves.” And so I think when women in the sorority tell themselves that it’s okay to let go for a while, there’s something about giving someone permission.” –Tika Sumpter
“I never thought in a million years that I would be in front of the cameras.” [in my underwear], but I let it happen,” she explains of the shoot. “It happened. I looked at it and realized, this is awesome. I am beautiful. And I should always see myself like this when I look at myself, if it’s a reflection, on a screen, or if I look at myself in a mirror. So that was one of the biggest moments for me, in terms of vulnerability. I think I took a huge step… It was great.”Michaela Haye Rodriguez
About the importance of getting outside
“A really important technique is to do grounding work, where you’re in nature barefoot and you can really connect with the Earth and the vibrations,” she says. “I know that sounds really ‘woohoo,’ but I think it’s so important to connect back to where we are, who we are, and shut down your whole brain except for your senses.” feel the earth What do you hear in the air? what do you smell What can you see?”—Sarah Hyland
“Thankful to live in Colorado where I have nature at my back door,” adds the actress. “I can have a really hectic day of meetings and such and such computers and these devices always in our faces.” It’s great because we get a lot done and can be really productive, but relaxing and getting away, for me, takes a walk. I just like to walk, and I like to wind through the trees or in an open field. I want to feel my feet on the ground. “I want to lie on my back and look up and watch the clouds float by. I want to absorb the energy of the earth into my body and vice versa.” –Hilary Swank
“I have regular check-ups; they are on the calendar at least six months in advance. I eat extremely well. I am not a vegetarian, but I eat very good fish and very little meat. I eat fantastic vegetables that I grow myself and delicious eggs straight from my coop I live on a farm which I think is one of the healthiest lifestyles there is because when I get up in the morning I can go outside and breathe fresh air. I can plant flowers or pick vegetables and make a green juice that is absolutely delicious, which really helps maintain good skin, good hair and strong bones.”Martha Stewart
To give yourself grace and time to rest
“This little permission slip — as soon as I saw it, I immediately wrote down ‘forgiveness’ because that’s something I still have to work on,” Phelps, who lives in Arizona, told Yahoo Life. “I need to be myself.” –Michael Phelps
“I like to say no, actually, more than yes,” she shares. “I say no to a lot of things and I’m fine with that.” You know, some people are very nervous about saying no: no to family, no to friends, no to the project, no to opportunities… If I’m not investing my time in my family or spending it wisely, then the answer is no.” –Eva Longoria
“I’d rather have a day off and a day that’s crazy scheduled than two moderately scheduled days,” Parker says firmly. “For me, when I enjoy my day off, I can also think [appreciate] the reward of a crazy day. I also want to know what’s going on. A few years ago, I started relying heavily on my calendar – so now I can prepare for the crazy day. I know it’s coming!” – Candace Parker
On the importance of changes in the way of thinking
“You have to be ready,” she says of being mentally prepared for a match. “I’ve worked my whole life for these moments… I don’t succeed in all of them, but at the end of the day I have to think I’m good enough.” – Serena Williams
“I can get overwhelmed, but I try to remind myself that there are so many worse things in the world right now, and it’s the little things that don’t matter in the big picture. –Rachel Bilson
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