Tag: mental wellness

Kendall Jenner’s Tips for Living As Her Highest Self Are Pretty Genius

Published on by Crystal LeeLeave a comment

Whether you watch The Kardashians or you’re one of her 261 million IG followers, you know Kendall Jenner is no stranger to the spotlight but also to the wellness scene. IV therapy, cold plunges, meditation sound bowls, and journaling are a few wellness practices she religiously stands by. If that doesn’t convince you of her self-proclaimed health obsession, her state-of-the-art room dedicated to all thing’s wellness will. Complete with a hyperbaric chamber, red light therapy bed, and oxygen therapy machine, it’s every wellness girl’s dream (major envy). Gadgets and gizmos aside, Kendall has open dialogues with the media and on social media about her mental health and struggles with anxiety.

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Thanks to her recent interview with Jay Shetty on his podcast, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, we got the 411 on her self-work and steadfast wellness rituals. Read on for how she stays in tune with her highest self. Spoiler alert: They are practices you will not find on Hulu or Instagram, and we can all benefit from them.  

Foster your higher goddess

In Kendall’s work with her therapist, she focuses on living in her higher goddess, AKA her higher self. What does that look like? Words of affirmation, reassuring yourself of who you are, and recognizing everything else is just noise. “Sometimes it feels weird to say good things about yourself, but I’ve also learned a lot about talking to myself and a lot about looking in the mirror and being like, ‘You’re great. You’re gorgeous. You’re amazing. You’re loyal. You’re positive.’” 

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Admittedly, Kendall falls victim to false narratives. Like us all, she has moments she struggles to stay true to who she is and her purpose. “If your happiness depends on the actions of others, you’re at [the] mercy of things that you can’t control,” she stated. Kendall emphasized holding your happiness and not letting anyone else affect it. If you know yourself and the people important in your life know your true self, nothing else should matter. When Shetty asked Kendall, “What’s something you used to value but you don’t value anymore?” Her answer? Validation. 

Set aside alone time

It’s no secret that Kendall is surrounded by a large family and famous friends (hey, Hailey Bieber) in addition to her entourage. But she told Shetty that since she was a kid, the Scorpio in her enjoyed being by herself. “I went through a phase where I felt like I had to be around people,” shared Kendall. “I think I live a very social life, and my job is very social, so I was kind of conditioned to want to be around people a lot. And then, as the pandemic came around, you’re not around as many people anymore. Now I’m just re-enjoying being by myself, which is cool.”

At the end of the day, Kendall craves a simple routine. Her perfect day consists of riding her horses, taking a cold plunge, laying out, and journaling. Taking a cue from Kendall, give yourself space and step away when needed. Additionally, be comfortable in your own company. Sometimes the best remedy for a bad day is journaling (yes, it bears repeating), taking a solo walk outside, meditating, or picking up a new hobby.

Set boundaries at work 

Let’s face it: We all experience burnout, celeb or not. Kendall expressed there was a long period she was overworked, felt overwhelmed, and said “yes” to every opportunity—to the point where she was unhappy (anyone else relates?). Eventually, she learned to prioritize herself. She realized her well-being was necessary to show up better in her personal and professional life. So, she took a step back in her career to reconnect with her higher self: “I got to that point, and I just knew I had to do it…” Kendall explained. “It was just such an unbelievable sensation that I had where I knew that if I do this, I’m going to be better for everyone. And I’m going to be better for myself, which means I’m going to be better for the people around me.”

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Learn to recognize the signs of burnout (think: fatigue, feeling apathetic with your work, changes to your sleep patterns). Then, enforce work-life boundaries to care for your mental health and restore a healthy balance. Maybe that means being upfront and communicating with your boss or taking time off. Or, it’s just saying “no” to taking on more projects or a meeting invite scheduled during your lunch break. Ultimately, your mental and physical health should be your number one priority (I know that’s sometimes easier said than done).

Stay grounded in your relationships 

When it comes to her family and friends, Kendall told Shetty that honesty and communication are her core values in maintaining healthy relationships. “I find it important to not feel like you’re on top of each other when you have your family around or your friends around,” she said. “It’s OK to sometimes, even if you’re at a family dinner, run to the bathroom and just being like, ‘Let me just take a couple of breaths because this is getting overwhelming.’” 

Kendall shared that she’s prone to anxiety and can take things too seriously. When she feels inundated with family circumstances or stress, she recognizes her feelings: “I’m allowed to feel this way; it’s valid. I’m just going to take a deep breath, and I’m not going to react, and then I’m going to go back out there, and I’m going to be fine.” Try being in Kendall’s shoes (wouldn’t that be fun?) and pause whenever you feel overwhelmed. Give yourself a safe space to express your feelings through journaling, speaking to a mental health professional, or practicing deep breathing.

Nurture your inner child

After coming across a viral TikTok trend encouraging viewers to stop negative self-talk by picturing their younger selves, Kendall’s therapist suggested she put a spin on it and find a photo of herself as a child to put on her bathroom mirror. Take a glance at her Instagram, and you’ll see the Polaroid of young Kendall. It serves as a daily reminder that anything negative that she says about herself, she’s saying to that beaming, hair bow-wearing younger version of herself. “If I’m ever looking in the mirror and being negative toward myself, I always look right over to her, and I’m like, ‘She’s dope, and I love her,’” Kendall laughed.

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Bottom line: Practice self-love and find tactics that work for you. If you’re not sure where to start, try exercising mindfulness, putting yourself and your needs first, or simply making yourself a healthy meal. Regardless of your method, keep being kind to yourself, just as you would your 5-year-old self or BFF.

We Tried Jennifer Aniston’s Self-Care Routine—Here’s What Happened

Published on by Crystal Lee4 Comments

You know those article headlines that make your heart stop when you come across them (or is that just a weird us-thing)? Imagine our excitement when we came across this story in Vogue about Jennifer Aniston’s self-care routine and her secrets to looking (and feeling!) as good as she does. Yes, please! After reading the entire interview about five times, the inspiration came to us like a wave. As wellness editors who love a good self-care ritual almost as much as we loved every season of Friends, we wanted to get as close as we could to being Jennifer Aniston and try out every detail of her self-care routine for one week.

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A photo of this week’s mood, for reference:

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So, what happened when we swapped out our self-care rituals for a Hollywood A-lister’s? Did we achieve her effortless beauty and lit-from-within glow? Did Jen and us (finally) become best friends, as having the same rock-solid self-care routine would make happen? Read on for Jennifer Aniston’s self-care rituals we added based on her interview with Vogue and our experience trying out each of them.

No phone for the first hour after waking

The first step in Jen’s self-care routine is what we need the most: less phone time. As a group of people who rolls over and checks Instagram within 30 seconds of waking up, it’s time for a morning routine makeover. As for the details (we’re all about the details), Jennifer keeps her phone stored elsewhere and uses iPods or old iPhones for alarm clocks and sleep apps. We charge our phones across the room and set an alarm on our echo clock.

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Jen talks about finally checking her phone after about an hour to find text messages wondering where she is, which we can only assume is from her team of assistants, BFF Courtney Cox, or maybe Brad Pitt finally realizing he can’t live without her (we’ve known that for 20 years, Brad!). We don’t have a team of assistants or Brad Pitt caring about why we haven’t answered their texts, but at least our boss would notice if we were MIA, right?

At the end of the week, we have to be honest: Our mornings were much better. We had more time to fit in meditation (more on that below), and we swear we felt less stressed when the first thought of our day was not centered around catching up on other people’s lives or texts we had missed. We are inspired to keep our current phone when we get a new one to use for sleep apps and alarm clocks. That’s some bougie-ish, but it’s also pretty genius. 

Use the Pattern app

While this is technically not a core piece of her self-care routine, Jennifer did mention that her phone is for texts, emails, and the Pattern app, which we needed to try. If it’s good enough for Jennifer Aniston, it’s good enough for us (also, it’s free, so we are game). We have never heard of Pattern, and TBH, it blew our minds. It uses data to help you better understand yourself and others for deeper connections. In a world where most of our screen time is spent watching people, we don’t know dance or cook feta pasta, it was cool to spend some time exploring our personalities and what’s going on in our life.

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You can use it as a tool to understand yourself better, a reference to make goals (it gives you peak days/times), or even as a way to connect with people who share similar personalities and values. Think of it like a dating app, only instead of swiping left-on gym selfies, you will be matched based on your deepest personality traits. Some of us learned that we are self-critical, deep, and passionate. It’s cool, and we thank the app gods and Jennifer Aniston for bringing such a fascinating tool into our life for free.

DIY a collagen latte

Probably the best thing to come out of this experiment is that we finally know Jennifer Aniston’s coffee order. Scratch that—she calls it a coffee routine. So, when we order Starbucks, we will no longer tell the barista that a Grande cold brew with one pump hazelnut and an inch of oat milk is the order, it’s our coffee routine. In a pleasantly surprising twist of events, Jen’s morning coffee is pretty doable. She adds a scoop of collagen from Vital Proteins, a dash of cinnamon, and a packet of Stevia because she has a sweet tooth. Meanwhile, she steams her almond milk while this concoction is forming and will occasionally indulge in her guilty pleasure, hazelnut Coffee Mate (that’s the relatable queen we know and love!).

Luckily, for this experiment, we already had a milk frother ready to go, oat milk on hand, and some collagen that we typically add to smoothies. We prefer the taste of iced coffee, but we quickly learned that collagen plus iced coffee does not equal a Jen-approved superfood latte. Collagen needs heat to dissolve or else it will turn into goop at the bottom of your cup (and not that kind of Goop). But once we nailed the hot coffee routine, we liked knowing we were getting some extra nutrients and protein in the coffee. 

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For the ones who don’t like or drink coffee:

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Be mindful of what your eyes and ears ingest

PSA: Your mouth and stomach are not the only body parts that digest. Jen is protective of her boundaries by limiting news sources, social media, and negative content. It makes us happy that Jen is protecting herself because we would protect her at all costs. But this is a great point because health is not only about choosing the best way to nourish our bodies with food but also about how to nourish our minds and souls. The podcasts we listen to, the people we spend our time with, the shows we binge on Netflix, the accounts we follow on Instagram, and the way we speak to ourselves (and others) are all things that feed us too. 

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We always try to be conscious of this by unfollowing or muting accounts that don’t serve us, watching comedies that make us happy over horror movies or sad shows, and limiting news to what we need to know. But this week, we were not only thinking about what not to watch, listen to, and read, but we also made a conscious effort to consume more of what to watch, listen to, and read. Instead of scrolling through Instagram or watching Netflix, we read inspiring books and listened to motivating podcasts. To no one’s surprise, it was truly the most motivated we had been in a long time (and not just because we’ve been comparing ourselves to Jennifer Aniston a little too much). 

Meditate after making coffee

Spoiler alert: Meditation was by far the most drastic change that came out of this week for some of us. It’s something we think we should do but never really make time for. We tell ourselves we will meditate after we take a smoke break, on our lunch break, or before bed, but it doesn’t always happen. Having a specific time built in to meditate (i.e., right after making coffee) was the game-changer because we did fit it in. 

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Jen explained that she meditates after “a few sips of coffee,” so we panicked because we weren’t sure if she takes the rest of the coffee with her to meditate (will that be a distraction and ruin the purpose?) or lets her coffee sit there and get cold after a few sips (maybe normal for the rich and famous?). We need a detailed play-by-play, Jennifer! We ended up sitting on our yoga mats with our bougie latte in hand for about five minutes of meditation (we couldn’t let collagen go to waste). 

@mindfulandmodern

Why celebs meditate Part 5 #selfcare #selflove #meditate #meditation #mentalhealth #mindfulness #spiritual #jenniferaniston

♬ original sound – Mindful & Modern – Mindful & Modern

Jen uses Insight Timer, so we used it and tried the courses she mentioned: lowering anxiety and how to create gratitude and abundance. Through this experiment, we learned that we prefer guided meditations. There’s way too much going on in our big brains to sit in quiet stillness, and we don’t always know what to write when journaling. Insight Timer achieved what it promised for us—we instantly felt a little less anxious throughout the day, and we felt major gratitude. This is nothing groundbreaking to the self-care world, but we give a morning meditation 5/5 stars. 

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Adopt a pro-aging mindset

As someone in their mid-twenties, whether we are for or against aging is not a topic we’ve put much thought into. we like to think we are already a “pro” because we regularly pretended to be 21 years old before we were. But we think we can all agree that of all celebs, Jennifer Aniston is the first one to come to mind when thinking of the Buzz phrase “aging gracefully.” Not only does she look phenomenal at every age (like, how?), but it also seems like she hasn’t resisted getting older. Rather, she’s slightly adjusted her hair, beauty, routine, and relationships to each phase in her life without trying to look like Season 1 Rachel Green. 

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The biggest lesson we got from Jennifer Aniston’s pro-aging mindset is something we also learned from our mom’s aging mentality: We are lucky to be able to get older because a lot of people don’t get the chance. We are sure we might feel less hunky dory about it when we get crow’s feet and gray hairs, but we do believe there’s something to be said about enjoying every age of life instead of wishing we could be younger. This week, we made an effort to make decisions for our future selves by eating fruits and veggies, getting enough sleep, and moving our bodies more, knowing that taking care of ourselves now is an investment in our future selves. As Mrs. Aniston (Jen’s mom) used to say, “This is about longevity. It’s a privilege to grow old, but we don’t have to grow sick.” 

Keep learning and educating yourself

It’s relatable that Jen casually mentioned to her manager that she wanted to educate herself more, so her manager arranged conversations with icons like Jay Shetty, Jessica Yellin, and David Sinclair (to be read in your best Chandler Bing-level sarcasm). We guess when you are an icon yourself, you have access to all the other icons. But as total wellness nerds who grew up loving to read (yeah, we were and still are that girl), we love that learning is a key part of Jen’s self-care routine. The goal of wellness is just growth: growing in health, growing in self-love, and growing in knowledge. When we’re constantly learning, we’re constantly growing.

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We try to make more of an effort to attend lectures, listen to podcasts, and read books to grow our health knowledge, but the major change from this week was how we saw those efforts. We typically see education as an extension of our career, like we are staying up to date to be the best we can be at our job. But seeing it instead as a way to care for us transformed what we got out of it. Education, even in the name of a career, helps us grow as people, not just as a job title. If you ask us, that’s caring for yourself more than a face mask or smoothie ever could.

Supplement your health with products that work

To quote Jennifer Aniston quoting Dr. Sinclair, “As we age, our cells start to shut down and the lights in our body turn off. But you can turn those lights, those genes, back on.” One of the ways Jennifer likes to turn those genes back on and age as healthy as possible is through tried-and-true supplements, like the aforementioned collagen (she uses Vital Proteins, of which she is the chief creative officer for the brand).

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We are typically wishy-washy with supplements. We get excited about a new multivitamin and take it religiously for a couple of weeks before forgetting about it altogether, or we know we feel our best when we are consistent with our probiotics but can’t always seem to remember to take them. This week, we were more consistent than we’ve typically been with taking the supplements and vitamins our doctor decided were best for us. A major shift was (yet again) mindset: Rather than just another thing we were “supposed” to do, we thought of these supplements as another way to invest in our future self and to “keep the lights in our bodies turned on” as we get older. You bet we won’t forget to take multivitamins again. 

The Verdict:

Overall, following an A-lister’s self-care routine was surprisingly doable. We loved spending a little extra time prioritizing the things we typically forget about, like tech-free time or meditation. However, the biggest takeaway we got from spending a week as Jennifer Aniston (we mean basically, right?) is that mindset is her secret. Don’t get us wrong: We are sure she has a team of the best beauty gurus and wellness experts on speed dial and the best products that only money (and fame) can buy. But her actual routines are fairly simple. No two-hour workouts, strict diets, or 5 a.m. wakeup calls are needed to achieve Jen’s lit-from-within glow.

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We love that the way she cares for herself is built around her mindset. She’s not using self-care rituals as a mask to achieve an “ideal weight” or to stay young forever; she cares about health because she wants to live the longest, happiest life possible. Now if that doesn’t sound like the moral of a movie where Jen would play the lovable protagonist, we don’t know what does. 

The Journal Prompt You Should Try Tonight, Based on Your Enneagram Type

Published on by Crystal Lee3 Comments

The Enneagram test can be an enlightening tool for self-discovery. Knowing your type gives you insight into what motivates, challenges, and fulfills you, well as how you experience life’s ups and downs. If you want to delve a little deeper, pairing journal prompts with your Enneagram type is one of the best ways to process and reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and experiences from the day. By exploring your personality traits through journaling, you can gain a better understanding of yourself and the world around you. Kick off your inner dialogue with one of these journal prompts recommended for each Enneagram type.

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Describe in detail an emotion you felt today.

Type Ones strive for perfection in everything they do and often boast a strong sense of self-discipline. Although this type experiences the same range of messy human emotions as everyone else, they may not freely express their anger, sadness, nervousness, or even joy for fear of judgment. Tap into those feelings with a journal prompt that invites you to describe an emotion with as much detail as possible. What provoked this emotion? What did it physically feel like? How did you react in your words or actions?

How did I take care of myself today?

Empathetic, selfless Twos are all about taking care of others, but they tend to brush off their own needs. Making time for self-care isn’t always high on their to-do lists, so this journal prompt encourages Twos to reflect on moments throughout the day when they prioritized their well-being. It could be as simple as describing a nutritious meal or the feeling after a long, steamy shower. Make a list of the ways you put yourself first today, as a reminder that your nurturing nature should extend inward as well.

What value did I contribute to the world today?

The Achiever’s basic desire is to feel valuable and worthwhile, and they often seek this feeling through personal accomplishments. The challenge for this type is to separate their self-worth from the attention of others and other exterior signs of success. Instead of focusing on specific achievements or tasks on your to-do list, consider the value you brought to other people or your environment today. Perhaps you made someone’s day with a small act of kindness, or maybe you simply tended to your houseplants and contributed to the growth of new life. Practice finding the value in your daily doings, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

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Describe your day using as many sensory details as possible.

Type Fours can be highly emotive and introspective, which means they tend to spend a lot of time in their heads. Rather than ruminating on your feelings, challenge yourself to focus instead on the concrete details of your day. Think through something you did that day in terms of what it looked, smelled, sounded, and physically felt like. Aim to describe things exactly as they are, without exaggerating or minimizing. The goal is to practice being fully present in whatever state you’re in.

How did I step back and unplug today?

With their intense focus and unquenchable curiosity, it’s easy for Type Fives to get preoccupied and distracted from daily life. If you’ve ever gotten lost in a book or fixated on learning a new skill, you know what I’m talking about. For this journal prompt, think about what you did today to unwind and give yourself a mental break. This could entail cooking a favorite meal, chatting with a friend, or simply going for a walk. Jot down both the feelings and physical sensations that came along with this activity.

What is the best thing that happened to me today?

A Type Six is prone to worst-case scenario thinking. Craving safety and security, they have a habit of running through all the “what ifs” in a situation, fixating on problems that haven’t appeared yet. If you feel that anxiety creeping in, flip your fear-based thinking and focus instead on the best thing that happened that day. Did something turn out better than you expected? Did you solve a problem that was stressing you out or find a moment of unexpected joy? Describe the good in each day as a reminder that your anxious thoughts aren’t always your reality.

When did I feel most present and grounded today?

Busy-body Enthusiasts thrive on adventure and excitement, but while they’re flying from one activity to the next, they may forget to pause and enjoy the moment. This journal prompt invites you to slow down and think about how you managed your attention that day. Tune into the times when you felt wholly present and grounded in the current moment. What were you doing? Who were you with? How can you bring that same mentality to your interactions tomorrow?

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How did I practice openness today?

Self-reliant Type Eights prefer to take charge of themselves rather than yield to others. Always wanting to be in control of the situation, they often struggle with vulnerability. Instead of shying away from it, hone on that feeling and consider how you opened yourself up to others today. Did you accept help when you needed it, share something that made you feel vulnerable or simply choose to listen before speaking? Did it make you feel stronger or less so?

How did I show up for myself today?

The Peacemaker’s agreeable nature means they’re more likely to go along with others than stir the pot by standing up for themselves. They tend to tune out their own needs and wants as a way to keep the peace, which can end up creating more problems in the long run. For this journal prompt, turn your focus inward and consider how you participated in the world around you. Did you assert your own opinion, advocate for your needs, and lean in instead of zoning out? If you struggled with this today, how can you do better tomorrow?

Sydney Sweeney Swears by These 5 Wellness Habits

Published on by Crystal LeeLeave a comment

To say Sydney Sweeney is a rising star is an understatement. Her on-screen resume reads like a must-watch TV ad: Euphoria, The White Lotus, The Handmaid’s Tale, Everything Sucks! Clementine, The Voyeurs, and Sharp Objects—to name a few. And she made her first debut at fashion’s biggest night out (AKA the Met Gala) this year, proving she can add fashion “It Girl” to her experience. It’s not all fame and fashion for the Idaho native—she restores cars, sweats it out in the MMA cage, spoils her rescue pup, and prioritizes her mental health (a far cry from her Cassie and Olivia characters). We turned to our trusted celebrity sources to get the details on how Sydney finds balance. Read on for five ways Sydney looks after her mental well-being. Celeb or not, we can learn a thing or two from her. 

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Make time for self-care

Carving out me-time has never been more embraced than it is now, but I’d argue that we could all still use a little nudge now and then. Sydney backs me up on that. She reminds us that self-care is individualized and can shift depending on the day or season in your life. “You can be OK one day and it’s OK if you’re not the next because I think you have to start every day new, and you have to start every day trying to appreciate and love yourself, which can be difficult sometimes,” she said. Sydney’s form of self-care? Uses her nifty ice roller, getting lost in HGTV, setting relaxing vibes with candles, and chills with her dog.

Deciding what you need to take care of yourself can be a challenge (let alone finding the time to squeeze it in). But self-care can make a world of difference between feeling burned out and empowered. So, whether it’s building your sense of self-worth, working on catching more Zzzs, or moving your body, prioritize your mental wellness. 

Stretch your budget

You probably don’t think of your finances when it comes to boosting your mental health, but Sydney encourages thinking twice about how you spend your hard-earned cash. “My family has always ingrained value in stretching a budget and the importance of money to my mind,” she told Yahoo Life. “When you don’t save correctly and don’t spend your money on important things where it’s supposed to be spent, [I saw] what the damage can be.” Sydney was taught the value of a dollar at a young age, and that has translated into her spending habits to this day. 

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Start by creating a budget and start tracking your expenses to see where you can save (yes, there are apps for that.) If you’re ahead of the game (kudos to you!). There are other simple money-saving tricks of the trade: Give yourself 24 hours before checking out for any impulse and got to-have-it-now buys. Use coupon sites like RetailMeNot and Honey for necessary purchases, and unplug any unused electronics (looking at you, TV). The silver lining? Save a la Sydney, and you won’t cramp your hot girl summer style. 

Practice self-love and body acceptance

I know, easier said than done, but take comfort in knowing this: Even celebs get self-conscious and need to be reminded to practice self-love. Sydney told Glamour that she gets nervous before every red-carpet appearance because she has to put her IRL self out there, instead of a character she’s playing. In her interview with Yahoo Life, she said self-confidence is a daily process. “Some days I will feel great and some days I don’t want to get out of bed, and I think that it’s OK if you feel both ways… And sometimes I’m not happy with myself or something just doesn’t feel right. I think it’s important for everyone to know that everyone has feelings, and it’s OK if you don’t feel confident one day, but just know that you’re beautiful, no matter what.” Our bodies do so much for us, and we only have one for the rest of our lives. Bottom line: Do yourself a favor and take care of your body. 

If “I love my body,” feels out of reach, that’s OK. Take a page out of Sydney’s book and start with honing in on all that your body is capable of doing, rather than what it looks like. There’s so much more to us than physical bodies after all. Try to take judgment out of the equation, and accept that self-love is a journey (with twists and turns, U-turns, and detours), not a race.  

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Sweat it out

Sydney isn’t just a badass on screen: BTS, she is killing it in her workouts. From practicing mixed martial arts (AKA MMA) to two-a-day walks with her dog, Tank, it’s no wonder she has rock-hard abs to go with her crop top and red carpet looks. Admitting she’s not a fan of the treadmill, she takes to her neighborhood or the beach for quick runs to clear her mind. And if she has more time for a workout, she gets her heart pumping with a workout video. (Is anyone else wondering if she needs a workout buddy? Same.) To make the most of your exercise routine, mix it up like Sydney. Try a new workout you may be intimidated by, or head outdoors for a stroll, hike, or run. It’s the perfect way to switch up your current routine if you find yourself in a fitness rut. 

Learn a new skill

As if her acting resume isn’t impressive enough, Sydney channeled her love of academia into business school classes while filming The Handmaid’s Tale. “I want to be able to read my contracts and know what the hell they say, so I’m not getting f*ed over,” she told Cosmopolitan. In 2020, she even launched her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, to support first-time female authors, nascent directors, and promising screenwriters. Could she be any more lovable?

If you’re having car troubles or find yourself stranded on the side of the road, Sydney is your girl. Taking ride-or-die to another level, she told Pure Wow that she has always been interested in cars. And that’s no joke—she took apart and rebuilt a Ford Bronco. Whether it’s the Virgo in her or not, she’s doing her mental health a lot of good by continuously cultivating new experiences. Research shows that learning new skills improves your mental well-being by helping you raise self-esteem and build a sense of purpose. So, if you’ve been contemplating picking up a new hobby (think: journaling, reading, cooking), take this as a sign to get at it.