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We unroll yoga mats, switch off phones, and put pen to gratitude journal in the pursuit of "wellness." But when you receive a diagnosis — of depression, of HIV, of endometriosis — it can force you to reevaluate what it means to be well. So, 19 people (you may have heard of them) carved out 19 unique — and fraught and inspiring — paths to wellness.
SINGER, SONGWRITER, DEXCOM WARRIOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR TIME IN RANGE On finding peace, relinquishing control, and managing diabetes
"Wellness has taken a different shape this past year, for obvious reasons. I've found a lot of peace, for the first time in my life, in having a daily routine—getting up, having a cup of coffee, maybe two, trying to spend time doing something outside of looking at my phone. I usually read a book or write. Wellness in its simplest form is, for me, just prioritizing that time away from being sucked into the Netflix or TikTok hole. [My wife, Priyanka, and I] have also gotten really into taking good, long walks, which is good for the body, but also the mind. I try to stay as creative as possible. I do a lot of screenwriting; I have a project. That helps me stay in a good place mentally. That and just time with our dogs and each other. We’ve built a little family here with our pups.
"As a Type 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 haven’t. [Wellness and diabetes are] definitely in constant conversation. The symptoms and side effects of having high or low blood sugar are potentially fatal, if not treated, so that is in direct contrast with wellness. 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. I try to be very diligent and stay on top that problem like when technology takes that part of the thinking out of the equation, by giving you accurate readings every several minutes [with Dexcom]. Once Priyanka came into my life, [Type 1 diabetes] was something that she had to do a deep dive on. Dexcom made her feel some comfort, knowing that she could be thousands of miles away and still get pinged with where my numbers are in real time.
"Type 1 is an autoimmune disease and, like any autoimmune disease, it's never going to be a walk in the park. There are a lot of things that are out of your control. As on top of it as you may be, I've learned just to take a deep breath and know that there are going to be tough days. You do the best you can, and from there you've got to just sometimes sit back and know it's going to work itself out. It's going to be alright."
COHOST OF QUEER EYE AND HOST OF THE PODCAST GETTING CURIOUS On the world's best bath, yoga, and living with HIV
"Wellness is a continued relationship with ourselves. It could be our spiritual practice; it could be a physical practice. 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. I do yoga, which is my moving meditation. When I first got turned onto it [at 19], I had just finished hair school. I had been a cheerleader in high school, and I really didn't know who I was not being a cheerleader. Then I found yoga. 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. It doesn't throw me off of my ability to function in the world if I can't go to class. 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. I was also getting sober at the time from a lot of really destructive behavior, so it was a multilayered thing.
"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. And [being diagnosed], that was pretty clear evidence of, like, 'You better stop, honey. It's getting real.' It did reprioritize my whole life. Talking to my therapist once a week is a huge part of my wellness. That’s nonnegotiable.
"Growing up, going to the mall was huge, and there was Bath & Body Works. 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. Then the wheels fell off—HIV, addiction, compulsivity, oh, my God. Then, as I started to come through that, as I started to stabilize and actually had money in my checking account, I was like, 'Oh, I can go and impulse-buy a little bit of skin care at Nordstrom.'
I started doing affirmations while doing skin care: 'I am worthy of love.' Or, 'I accept myself completely.' Or, 'I am capable.' Even if you don't mean it yet, just saying it over and over, it starts to positively charge your brain. Skin care is also self-care because it gives me so much joy. Coconut Milk Bath Soak by Herbivore—holy shit! I do that and three pumps of Squalane Oil by Biossance mixed together for the best bath of my life. [Van Ness is a celebrity ambassador for Biossance.]
"Sometimes it's hard to wrap your mind around this esoteric idea of wellness. I really wish that I could just put wellness and self-care into a box, put a bow on it, wrap it up, and I'm like, 'Mastered it!' It's just not like that. There are times when it's easier, but our life isn't stagnant; everything changes. All that stuff is always going to be there—who you are and how you react to different stressors and pressures. Self-care, in the words of my therapist, is trying to create more pause than a reaction—more stillness, more of a chance for you to be like, ‘Do I feel good about this? Are these the relationships I want to have?'"
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ACTOR, MODERATOR OF THE VIEW, AND NURTEC ODT PATIENT AND SPOKESPERSON On laughter, fear, and migraines
"I try to laugh a lot. I try to find some funny in the day, be it a dopey cat video, a really bad kid joke, or a dad joke—something silly to make your day skip along. It doesn't always stay that way, but you can find something to laugh about at least once a day. No matter where you're at, you've got to find one thing.
"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 no—you just have to stop wearing them. And if you get migraines, your question is, Can I get through the day without having a migraine?
"I have migraines. For years, you try to find ways to make the pain stop. If you are a working person—particularly a working mother, a working woman—you don't have time to be sick. Migraines don't care what you have to do. They just come on and can really wreak havoc in your life. If you take something to stop the pain, and it just makes you so tired, you can't do your job. You're always trying to figure out, What do I do? You're always on a kind of wooden plank that is very movable.
"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. I had general pneumonia with sepsis. That was the biggest kind of, like, Okay, here's what happens when you don't pay attention. 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.
"[After being in the hospital], I decided I was going to ask people what works for them. Khloé 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. The most common side effect is that you get nauseous, but if you're a person who gets migraines, you're used to being nauseous. When something comes along that can make the day better, I get excited. I can't say that it's going to work for everybody and, of course, everybody has to get some insight with their doctor. I am not afraid now because I can keep it in my bag and therefore it makes my time better. 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 ROAD On wholeness, depression, and anxiety. Morissette is currently on tour celebrating 25 years of Jagged 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. That model [of psychotherapy] very much helps me to connect with different parts of myself, some that are deemed by society as negative, challenging, dark parts, like addressing depression or anxiety. 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 bath—epsom salts, magnesium, lavender. Call in all the special ops! [Laughs]
"Personally, because I feel like sharing might be helpful in some way, I have a little life pie that I reference visually. Pretty much every journal I have, if you open the front page, it's the pie. I just take a glance at them and immediately my eye will be pulled toward that which I have been neglecting.
"My life pie includes—I'm just going to draw it while I'm talking—family 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. If I'm going to a television studio anywhere in the world, my first question is usually, 'Is there a room with a door that I can close? 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. Usually, a grief or a loneliness, or some false thought that got into my mind really, really young and I just kept believing it, even though it was never true. Feeling that I've processed enough is important, and that can include venting with friends, feeling expressed artistically, designing something.
"Marriage is a big one. It's tough with three kids, but my husband, Souleye, and I try to sneak away as much as possible.
"Being on top of my business and finances: I feel like [the] patriarchy just pats women on the head— especially artists. I have been shamed for looking after my money and shamed for not looking after my money. You can't win! So I just keep showing up.
"Brain rest: binge-watching TV. Floating, wandering time. Mind wandering. As an artist and someone who loves to philosophize, I can't get those 'messages,' for lack of a better term, if everything is jam-packed, including my mind and environment. So just time to sit. Easier said than done last year with three kids schooling at home—my eyes are crossed!
"Another one is to make sure 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. And God bless, having a newborn and breastfeeding, taking a shower once in a while is a massive luxury.
"I'm a bit of an essential oil apothecary alchemist. Breath work is really powerful for me too, because shallow breath just keeps sending a message to my brain that I'm in a constant fight-or-flight state of emergency. 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. And balms! I'm a balm queen. One I love is by Monastery—the Attar Floral Repair Concentrate.
"Next, movement, of any kind. What feels really organic for me is Pilates and stretching. Environment. Taking care of home. It could just be puttering. I think puttering is next to Godliness. Education. 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 can't swing a dirty sock without hitting piles of books everywhere.
"And I do blood work. Every three months or so, I’ll see where my vitamin levels are—vitamin D, vitamin everything. I watch it like a hawk. I've struggled with depression and anxiety throughout most of my life, and [with] all three kids I have had postpartum depression. 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."
HOST OF TOP CHEF AND TASTE THE NATION, AUTHOR OF TOMATOES FOR NEELA, AND UNDP GOODWILL AND ACLU ARTIST AMBASSADOR On the power of food, frustration, and endometriosis
"When I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis in my 30s, it was such a moment of clarity, but it also made me angry that I wasn't able to get treatment sooner. The labyrinth-like process inspired me to create the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EFA) with Dr. Tamer Seckin, to help fund research and be a resource for women struggling with the chronic pain of endo.
"Eating a mostly plant-based diet helps me feel balanced and healthy. [But] wellness can mean putting away devices and leaning into moments of pleasure, whether that be spending time with my daughter, cooking something for myself, or exercising. I've loved cooking with Krishna since she was a toddler. Over the years I've taught her how to make everything from dal to dosas, how to flip them just right. I wanted to write [Tomatoes for Neela] to teach kids about where their food comes from. A child who has a hand in making their own healthy dishes is more likely to eat healthily for all of their lives."
K-POP STAR On support systems and depression
"After going through what I've gone through, I think the people around you [are] really important. 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've changed. I'm a very simple guy. Good things are good things. For me, that's what wellness is about." — as told to Devon Abelman
FOUNDER OF HUDA BEAUTY AND GLOWISH On pressure and polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS]
"I've been super fortunate that my business has grown so quickly, but it has meant a lot of sleepless nights and ups and downs. 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. When I realized this a few years ago after seeking external help, it made me question the way I was working and it forced me to start taking it easier on myself. 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.
"PCOS was not necessarily the first trigger for my need for more self-care, but my ongoing wellness practices—meditating, taking long salt baths, boxing or burning energy on the treadmill—definitely evolved when I found out I had PCOS. 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. When you feel like you're alone in something, it makes it that much harder to accept and cope with it."
CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND GLOBAL BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR BAD HABIT SKIN CARE On social media breaks and anxiety
"I try to do my full skin-care routine twice per day. 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. The feeling of cooking a meal is so satisfying and therapeutic— you don't get that from ordering from a restaurant.
"For as long as I remember, I've been trying to find ways to cope with my anxiety and depression. I've learned to figure out what areas it feels right to push in—like forcing myself to do a simple chore [or] to go get some fresh air—and what areas it doesn't. I try to stay off my phone. Social media can be really fun and creative, but spending too much time looking at it will amplify my mental health struggles. I have to stay connected to reality or else I feel out of control. Instead of spending my alone time on my phone, I spend it listening to music, taking myself on dates, taking care of my brain. Once I started doing all of that, my life almost immediately improved.
"I used to believe wellness was tied to productivity—if you aren't being productive you aren’t taking care of yourself. 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. In the moments when you can't get out of bed, it's easy to feel like a lazy failure, but you may subconsciously be taking care of yourself. 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."
SINGER, WHOSE SECOND SOLO ALBUM LAUNCHES THIS FALL On home cooking and attention deficit
"Wellness is checking in with yourself and making sure you're good: getting enough sleep, drinking water, exercising, eating your veggies. 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. I grew up in an Olympian household and I was a trained fencer from an early age, so I'm very used to a regimen.
"When I was young, my teachers thought I had an attention deficit because I was active and restless. I've never actually been diagnosed, but my parents thought about my wellness and transferred me to an international school that was a better fit for me learning-wise. 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 try to be present for myself."
DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER, CEO AND FOUNDER OF KINRGY On morning runs, human connection, and trauma recovery
"Sometimes we only think in terms of 'good health' or 'bad health.' When I say I am 'well,' I've reframed it to mean balanced and neutral. I've spent most of my life trying to be in the best health, but sometimes it's not sustainable to always be in peak performance. Our bodies need to recover and rest.
"I set rituals and routines that help me stay balanced and motivated. I drink a glass of lemon water (that I've prepped the night before) first thing in the morning, followed by self-connection time through a meditation, breath work, morning pages, gratitude diary, or visualization. It just depends what I'm feeling. I then get my body moving with a KINRGY class or maybe a run around my neighborhood so I can also get some human connection. My 70+-year-old neighbor always greets me from her house while I'm on my run. Now it's time to look at my phone. Yup, that's right, I try to do all of that without checking my phone. It helps me stay connected without getting distracted first thing in the morning.
"Once I'm done with work, I try to reach out to at least one friend or family member. Whether for me or to let them know they are supported. Dinner is usually an experience with candles. It lets my mind and body know that I'm done working and it's time to unwind and enjoy. Bedtime is all about rituals too—reading, meditating, praying, journaling. I give myself a good half an hour in bed before I shut my eyes to wind down with no electronics.
"My transformational journey really began in 2013. That’s when I learned about belief systems, social structures, and trauma-related behavior. I was able to reframe a lot of what I thought brought me happiness—it was really creating more anxiety and loneliness. It was time to move through past traumas and wounds. [Hough has been open about physical and emotional abuse she endured as a child dancer living and training in London.] I found the best way for me to move through this process was through the body. Movement, breath, and visualization helped me not only work through buried emotions, but also made me feel safe and helped me to better trust myself.
"Life really is about finding a balance in all. I always try to find 'well' in all that I do."
TENNIS CHAMPION AND FOUNDER OF ELEVEN BY VENUS On me time and Sjogren's syndrome
"Physical and mental health are both equally important to me. After my [Sjogren's syndrome] diagnosis, I had to really start paying attention to how my body was feeling and what I was putting into it. 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. [Sjogren’s syndrome most commonly causes dry eyes and mouth.] It's really been trial and error for me. I've come to realize how important it is to make time for myself if I want to perform my best on and off the court."
FOUNDER OF ELALUZ On finding joy and living with epilepsy
"There are days I'm so overwhelmed, I have so much in my mind—I'm running two brands—so I need to just breathe. 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.
"I was diagnosed with epilepsy at age nine, and, you know, at age nine, you don't really understand. What is it that I'm going through? Fortunately, my type of epilepsy is very controlled, meaning if I take medicine, I won't have a seizure. But at an early age, I learned that resting and taking care of my mind and mental health was number one.
"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. I know that these wellness and mental health moments are so important to my health, and also my well-being and happiness in general."
ACTOR, FOUNDER OF BÉIS, COFOUNDER OF ONDA On kindness and prenatal depression
"The better you take care of yourself, the better you will be for other people in your life.
"Coming out of [prenatal depression, I] realized how important it was to take time to connect. That's really what helped—speaking 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.
"There was a recent survey from Motherly that showed 93 percent of mothers reported feeling burned out, which I'm like, 'Yep, sounds about right.' Pampers' Million Acts of Love [campaign] is really just to help uplift and support parents when they need it, not only during this past year, but anytime. [Mitchell was a spokesperson for the campaign.] It can honestly be the simplest thing, like making a cup of coffee, going for a walk, or if you don't live next to a mother figure, calling them. 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."
SINGER AND SONGWRITER, NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER On days off, long drives, and managing anxiety
"If I feel really overwhelmed or anxious, taking a step back [helps], because I am pretty introverted and I get overstimulated easily. If I get writer's block, I tend to want to do things that I love to get me out of it. I love going to the movies. I love to read. I love to put my feet in something—grass, sand, or water. I had someone tell me once, 'Hey, you're not a robot. You’re not expected to write something amazing every single day.' If you need to 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. The best.
"I went through a period of having panic attacks a lot and it took me going to therapy, which I think is self-care, to talk about my feelings and learn techniques to manage my anxiety, [like] taking time for myself. I also learned to rationalize with myself when I'm feeling fearful. If I didn't have those outlets, I would probably still be in a session, in the fetal position, having a panic attack. 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."
ACTOR, BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA On pain, endometriosis, and dunking
"I've been dealing with endometriosis since I was 13, [but] it wasn't diagnosed in Nigeria, [where I'm from]. 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. [My concept of] wellness came about as a result of trying to find ways to cure the pain. I think mind, body, and spirit create a person; vitality is also part of it. I was told I;d never be able to dunk a basketball, so I've decided to take that challenge on. Even if I'm 90 years old, I'll still be trying."
MAKEUP ARTIST AND FOUNDER OF GUIDE BEAUTY On gratitude and Parkinson's disease
"When I was a kid, wellness meant balanced nutrition and physical exercise. 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. I plan time when I can immerse myself in creative environments: listening to music, thumbing through interior design magazines, and most days, playing with makeup. 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.
"Having Parkinson's has pushed me to practice what I intellectually knew: Balance and your approach to life are key to your outcome. This perspective has not only shaped my wellness, it has allowed me to redefine my diagnosis not as a disability, but as the lens through which I am gifted to design for better. [Bryant's Guide Wand steadies the user's hand to help anyone with movement disorders such as Parkinson's apply eyeliner.] I know that if I'm mindful of feeding my spirit, mind, and body that I will live my best life. That doesn't mean that I am insulated from day-to-day stressors. I've just learned to listen to my body better, so I know how to refill my cup."
ACTOR AND FOUNDER OF TOWWN On nature, depression, and anxiety
"[Nature] takes me out of the cacophony in my head and into the simplicity of nature. Even if I am unable to be in a green space, I love listening to the sounds of nature (rain, trees in the wind) and I instantly feel calmer."
CELEBRITY PILATES INSTRUCTOR AND WELLNESS COACH On the power of movement for managing anxiety
"Normally we exercise and move for our physical appearance — you know, weight loss, etc. — but maybe about four years ago it began to mean something different to me because I learned [that] I suffered with anxiety, and maybe I always have.
"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 began to focus mentally on different things, not just accomplishing the exercise properly because I want my glutes to look a certain way or I want a perkier butt. 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 to do things that I would never do — actually taking fitness outside of the walls of my own personal studio or my home. When I would have anxiety really bad — because mine would come in the morning like a wave — I had to go outside. 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. You forget what you were even focused on prior to, because that's one of the things about anxiety. Sometimes you're ruminating or thinking about the same things over and over and over again, and you can't stop whatever you’re stressing about. But as soon as you change your environment or you start to move a little, and you start to breathe and relax — and of course, the happy hormones get involved — you feel so much better.
"And with that, I started to look better. When I started to exercise because of my anxiety, people started saying, you look better than you ever looked. Yeah, because my purpose is different and my focus is different. I also suffered with gut health and hormone issues, and a lot of people don't understand that gut health, hormones, and anxiety go together like peanut butter and jelly.
"If it means I have to wake up earlier to move with a purpose for myself, then that's what I would have to do. And once I started to move more, I just started to feel better."
COSMETIC DENTIST On deep breathing and life after contracting COVID-19
"Wellness definitely took on a new meaning after I recovered from COVID. I was very, very sick for three weeks, and when I say very sick, to be honest, I actually thought I would die. And then I was one of those people they categorize as a long-hauler, so I had tremendous fatigue, shortness of breath, and asthma-like symptoms all the time. As a result, my concept of wellness totally changed. I had been in great physical condition — I was very conscious of exercising — and yet I got sicker than anyone I know. Over this past year, one of my biggest changes was breathing. My doctor told me the lungs needed to be exercised in order to recover, so I started doing the Wim Hof method and I learned that even people that were not affected by COVID had been doing it for a very long time. I started doing it everyday — it is regimented breathing exercises of inhaling and exhaling and taking deep breaths, which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which gives the body a sense of calm. 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 did so much research on how to get healthier, and I read about how sugar is so bad for us, so I changed my diet. I started feeling better physically, and that affects you emotionally. It's hard to pinpoint what did it, but with these two things combined, my fatigue lifted and my breathing has gone back to being totally normally.
"Sometimes in life a negative becomes a positive, and the horrible path that I've traveled having had COVID actually has brought me to a new level of wellness that I don't think will ever change. It has totally turned me around in terms of how take care of myself."
Not done reading? Here's more on wellness:
- There Is No Wellness Without Good, Accessible Health Care
- Should You Be Seeing a Psychodermatologist?
- We Asked Astronauts to Share Their Top Wellness Tips
Now watch Nigella Miller walk through her wash day routine for psoriasis:
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