Where is Barcelona?
We talk to 12 celebrities who have shared their top tips for improving their mood when they’re feeling down, from Scarlett Moffat and Christie Brinkley to Diane Boswell and Karen Hauer.
No one is immune to struggle with Psychological health. Low moods can affect anyone and everyone, whether you’re in the public eye or not, as some of our favorite celebrities have proven.
Read: Scarlett Moffat admits she wanted to “hide for a while” after the celebrity win
in honor of us The issue of digital mental health guest edited by Scarlett MoffatIn this article, we spoke to a handful of stars who shared what they do to improve their mood when they’re feeling down. Whether it’s working out, listening to music, or spending five minutes by themselves, they’ve shown that there are plenty of ways to get that serotonin flowing.
Scarlett Moffat
“I love listening to ’70s music, so Donna Summer or Minnie Riperton. I’ll hit the music loud and dance a little bit around the house. I’ll surround myself with people because what I’ve found is, when I’m having a bad day, my brain tells me to spend the day alone, but it actually makes me sad more.
“So I physically force myself to see Mum and Dad or spend time with my boyfriend or friends or take my Bonnie a Chihuahua for a walk. I find the animals really help because even if I’m having a low day, I have to do my Bonnie walks. It’s good to have this the purpose.
“You have to do things that bring you happiness, but it’s also good to have a day doing nothing and not stressing yourself out about it. I call them lazy days where you’re lazy!”
Kristi Brinkley
“I can’t be frustrated for long, I count my blessing and remember how grateful I have to be. I think it might be selfish to allow myself to be in a bad mood, and so I don’t get frustrated that much.”
“When there are world events that are both frustrating and upsetting, I will make donations to organizations and start work, find out how I can help, as I find that helping others helps me. Hence music is a mood lifter for me. I love to sing and dance in the kitchen. When Sailor, my daughter dances , I try to imitate her and break myself, and when she’s not around, I still pretend to be a sailor.”
Briony Gordon
“I force myself out. When I don’t want to go out, that’s when I know I have to. We can think a lot about meditation, but you have to get the basics right: enough sleep, good eating, cutting out food too and plenty of coffee.” , and avoid alcohol. It’s all the little things that can be accomplished that can give you a sense of power. Getting out, walking, and connecting with someone is the real key.”
Diane Boswell
“I am really into taking care of myself. Taking time for yourself is important. Many of us are constantly trying to make others happy, but it is important that we take time to take care of ourselves. If we feel good about ourselves, we will feel better able to help others. Caring can be Subjectivity is anything from a cold shower in the morning, to making your favorite cup of tea.”
Penelope Wilton
“I walk! Ten or 14,000 steps a day, if I’m not working. It changes your mood. I do it in London, I walk in all the parks, and I have an app on my phone called Go Jauntly that gives you walks you can do and gives you interesting things to see along the way.” .”
Elizabeth McGovern
“I go swimming. I do 20 lengths, it takes me ten minutes.”
Gorka Marquez
“I exercise. I’ll do a training session or go for a walk with the dogs. For me, training is my time and place. I’m mentally clear. If I’m stressed or tired or missing Gemma (my fiancée) and Mia (my daughter), I’ll go and train and feel rejuvenated.”
Karen Hauer
“If I’m having a rough time, I’ll attend a therapy session with Camila Dallrup. It is very important to talk to someone and be able to communicate your feelings. If I can’t have a therapy session, sometimes I like that I just sit with her and let the feeling pass in its own time. Acknowledge the fact I’m frustrated and that’s okay.
“I also love to walk the dogs, or cook. I bathe, meditate, write stuff. I try to do more self-help but if it doesn’t go away, I talk to Camilla.”
Pro Leith
“I feel so sorry for people who get depressed because depression is very much about the levels of serotonin in your brain and it’s really hard to do a lot about it. There are tricks and what I do when I’m upset or angry or sad, I’ll take a walk. I have two Cavalier spaniels and we live in the country, So I get up and walk.
“The other thing I do is cook. My mother used to say, ‘Go and cook something.'” That’s right, I find cooking really relaxing and enjoyable. So, I would cook or go for a walk. I think I’m very lucky to have confidence in my optimistic and cheerful nature. I think it has to do with the chemicals in the brain. I think it’s just luck.
“People say to me, ‘You’re so cool for your age, how can you be so energetic? And I don’t know. I was born this way. When my kids were young, they’d say I’m too tired. It’s tiring to be with active people. You capture people’s mood. If my daughter is crying, I’ll start crying. My husband does that metaphor by enclosing Yourself with radiators and not with drains – which is true but it is a very selfish attitude. It means that you do not take pleasure in unhappy people.”
Kay Wadrington
“I listen to some good music. I love music, it always puts me in the right mood. Or I call my family.”
Luba Mashtouk
“I always have a moment and have my own space if I feel too overwhelmed. I’ll take five minutes alone, without speaking, to feel my own feelings.”
Sarah Davis
“I think everyone has their own ways of coping. For me, I know however starting my day prepares me for the rest of the day. Especially during the first shutdown, I struggled, as most people did, because it was as calming and overwhelming as I had.
“My way of learning how to deal with it and dealing with it all was to go out for a run every morning. I’m not a morning person but I found that I would get up early and early every morning and run around our village. I find that it’s a really good way to think about any decisions I’ve made or had to Take it that day.I was going home feeling really good.
“Whenever I get tired and hard, that’s what I do, I go for a run and like to do it in the morning because then I feel like I’m taking advantage of it all day long.”
Josh Cuthbert
“Mental health is a journey and I still take it often. Too often, I wake up feeling so anxious and insecure about the day ahead that even the smallest tasks (getting out of bed and brushing my teeth for example) are almost impossible to complete.
“It’s some of the things I do that can help me when I’m feeling down and struggling with my mental health. Some of the things I do to help with that are: I write things I’m grateful for eg a roof over my head and my wonderful wife; I talk to a friend or family member About how I feel and are often able to cheer me up;I spend the day as it comes and don’t put myself down with too many big tasks.Focus on the little things first and listen to your body and mind;I also like to put something on TV that makes me smile,like an episode of friends or something !”
Carly Pierce
“Honestly being on stage really helps me in a bad mood. Just doing a performance in front of an audience really helps me get out of any kind of routine.”
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