How I Mental Health by Maya Rudolph

1. Social media has a confusing impact on my sense of well-being.

2. My definition of a mental-health day is taking a shower.

3. I unwind with a crossword puzzle.

4. My happy place is New York.

5. On a good day, I deal with rejection by forgetting about it and being grateful; on a bad day, I deal with rejection by way of ice cream.

6. The not-so-great coping mechanism I had to abandon is kicking people in the shins when I was 8.

7. When I’m being pulled in many directions, I lose my shit on the inside.

8. I (try to) practice gratitude every day to help me feel grounded.

9. The workout I turn to to calm down is yoga.

10. When I can’t fall asleep, I drink a warm glass of Natural Vitality’s Calm supplement.

11. If I’m stressed before bed, I try to read; if I’m stressed when I wake up, I take it out on the first person I see. Is that bad?

12. When my partner/kid/family is driving me crazy, I try to extricate myself from the vicinity.

13. When motherhood happened, it really put things into perspective.

14. The one person I know I can always be myself with is my dad.

15. In my time of need, I turn to wine.

16. When negative self-talk is filling my head, I reset by reminding myself of lots of good things.

17. The best piece of advice I’ve been given is FOFO: Find Out before you Freak Out.

18. The song I put on for positive vibes is “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing.”

19. I combat stress with 4-7-8 breathing.

20. The book I’ve learned the most from is “Bird by Bird,” by Anne Lamott.

21. My favorite way to recenter is meditation.

22. My mental-health mantra is “Be here now.”

This story appears in the Spring 2021 issue of Marie Claire.

subscribe here