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Selena Gomez says this type of therapy completely changed her life

Selena Gomez is no stranger to the living in the spotlight. Since debuting on Barney & Friends at age 7, the actress has catapulted to stardom on TV, in movies, and in the music world. Plus, she’s a charter member of the most famous squad in the world, along with Taylor Swift and Blake Lively—and she even holds the top spot on Instagram, as the single most-followed person on the app (yes, including Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian).

But just because she seemingly has it all doesn’t mean she’s not human. Exhibit A: her struggles with anxiety and depression.

“We girls, we’re taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy and cool and laid-back, the girl who’s down. We also need to feel allowed to fall apart.”

In a recent interview with Vogue, the 24-year-old opened up about her ongoing battle with mental health issues and the big (and small) changes she’s made to keep them in check.

During her Revival world tour, the star says she was overcome with feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. “My self-esteem was shot. I was depressed, anxious. I started to have panic attacks right before getting onstage, or right after leaving the stage,” she explains. “Basically I felt I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t capable. I felt I wasn’t giving my fans anything, and they could see it—which, I think, was a complete distortion.”

That realization led her to cancel the tour early and head to a three-month-long stint at a psychiatric facility in Tennessee, where she, along with six other “normal girls,” attended daily solo and group therapy to help deal with all facets of mental health. And she surrendered her cellphone during her stay there. Since then, she’s completely given up the reins to her Instagram account, fearing that she’ll get sucked back into the spiral. (Happens to the best of us.)

Post-treatment, Gomez has said she’s never felt better—and continues to keep up her therapy habit in Los Angeles, where she sees her shrink five days a week. And although she’s taking a break from tour and movies, she’s become a huge advocate for dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): a technique developed to treat borderline personality disorder by improving communication, regulating emotions, and incorporating mindfulness practices.

“DBT has completely changed my life,” she explains. “I wish more people would talk about therapy. We girls, we’re taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy and cool and laid-back, the girl who’s down. We also need to feel allowed to fall apart.” (She’s even producing a Netflix miniseries called 13 Reasons Why, which deals with social media pressure and teen suicide.)

Best of all, she’s focusing on being mindful—perhaps with a new beau of hers in tow?—and continuing to keep up her healthy habits, from ginger shots to rest days. “For a change,” she says, “I’m not eager to chase a moment. I don’t think there’s a moment for me to chase.”

From Kristen Bell to Ellie Goulding, many stars have been opening up about their mental health: Find out 4 things Bell taught us about depression. And hear how Goulding’s fitness routine helped her deal with anxiety.

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How Cate Blanchett maintains her crazy-glowy skin while traveling

Though Cate Blanchett wasn’t the one reverse-aging in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, you could say she’s doing it IRL. The Australian beauty and Oscar-winning actress’ porcelain skin has remained virtually unchanged over the course of her uber-successful career.

Besides starting her day with lemon water (a celeb fave), wearing minimal makeup, and always covering up with sunscreen, the star revealed another key beauty secret that keeps her glowing—no matter how often she has to fly for work.

“I mask on the plane, but I wait until the lights go off.”

In a recent interview with Allure, Blanchett revealed how she deals with the dreaded (and drying) air on airplanes: She’s all about doing treatments mid-flight.

“I mask on the plane, but I wait until the lights go off,” she says (relatable to those of us who don’t quite have the guts to look like a scary movie villain in front of a bunch of strangers). “Although sometimes I’m so desperate I can’t wait, so I’ll put an eye mask on.”

Blanchett also notes that she keeps a facial mist with her for up-in-the-air skin refreshers. Hey, doing your beauty routine at 40,000 feet isn’t the craziest thing celebrities do while they travel—it’s not like Blanchett has her SoulCycle bike in tow, a la Lady Gaga. And let’s face it: You definitely can’t argue with her results.

Pro travel tip: Here’s how to fight jet lag forever with these genius hacks. And these are the best healthy snacks that wellness experts always pack in their carry-ons. 

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What it’s *really* like to sit in an infrared sauna for 30 minutes

Introducing Good Vibes, Well+Good’s new (woo woo) wellness video series where you’ll get a seriously immersive peek into the new age, the energy-charged, and the out-there stuff wellness influencers are buzzing about right now. 

Infrared sauna therapy is making waves with celebs, the wellness-obsessed, and detox-happy yogis from coast to coast. Case in point: Downtown New York City cool girls (and founders of Sky Ting Yoga) Chloe Kernaghan and Krissy Jones, who just installed an infrared sauna in their new, light-filled Tribeca studio.

So what’s the deal with infrared? The difference from a regular sauna is the invisible radiant energy, which raises your body’s core temperature rather than the temperature around you. Translation: It’s a total sweat fest (and, allegedly, an amazing detox).

We joined the business partners inside Sky Ting’s in-studio Higher Dose sauna for a peek at what the experience is really like. Important observations (“I feel like my organs are going to cook”) and hilarious real talk (“What’s the heat capacity for iPhones?”) above.

Want to try it yourself? Here’s your deep dive on the buzzy benefits of infrared heat, and the complete guide to having your most detoxifying sauna experience yet.

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Kristen Bell’s brilliant advice for boosting your innate confidence—and killing it in your career

In a sea of image-crazed celebrities, Kristen Bell is a refreshing breath of realness. She has a clear-eyed perspective on mental health, gets her perfume from Whole Foods, and is the definition of #relationshipgoals with also-funny actor Dax Shepard.

The actress is also incredibly wise—and someone you’d want in your circle of friends for life advice. Case in point? At a recent Create and Cultivate conference, Bell spilled some real-talk on aging in Hollywood and seriously game-changing confidence tips that anyone can apply to their own careers in order to be successful.

“There is a lot of excess noise that comes with allowing everyone to have a say in your self-worth.”

“I think there are professional challenges that come with age, but I also believe thoughts control your language and your language controls your life,” says Bell. “Negative thoughts attract and self-fulfill a negative outcome, so I do my best to reframe the picture and not allow future limitations to become my present ones.” So basically your mindset is key for how you act, which affects every aspect of your life (notice how when you’re down in the dumps, things seem to always go wrong?).

A natural people-pleaser, the star also had to figure out how to stop putting too much power in others’ expectations. “I reached a point where I learned, out of necessity, to divorce my need to please from my career,” she says. “It was the only way to survive the rejection and ultimately it was the key to success. There is a lot of excess noise that comes with allowing everyone to have a say in your self-worth. Once you shed that, you instantly become (ironically) a more likable version of yourself.”

But the most important advice to keep in mind? Messing up is totally okay and normal.

“It’s impossible to complete life’s balancing act with a perfect record,” says Bell.  “You are bound to wobble or misstep or even fall. It’s just part of the game. But dwelling in temporary defeat is what causes more permanent ones. So, it’s very important to be kind to yourself, shake it off and move forward.” Well said.

Here’s another (surprising) way to get ahead at your job. And this is how to give your career a major boost, according to your astrological sign. 

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Can going barefoot keep your brain young?

To keep your mind sharp, you could do crossword puzzles or try to learn a new language—basically anything that’s mind-boggling and takes practice. But a lesser-known way to maintain your cognitive abilities? Going barefoot.

“Your nervous system is especially sensitive in your feet,” says Emily Splichal, MD, podiatrist, human movement specialist, and Ashtanga yoga instructor. “And people don’t even realize that the nerves there age. The more we wear shoes, we take away that information between the feet and your brain. That’s why it’s important to be barefoot and stimulate your nervous system in that way.”

“Your nervous system is especially sensitive in your feet. And people don’t even realize that the nerves there age.”

She relates it to children—they’re often seen bouncing around. “Their nervous system is very sharp,” explains Dr. Splichal. “That’s how that system is shaped—learning how to walk and stand.” As you grow older, however, that’s when you start wearing cushioned footwear—which she says detaches you from allowing your nerves to connect with your mind. Ultimately, that function can become a little slower.

It may sound like a wild claim, but studies actually (somewhat) back it up. Dubbed “earthing,” standing on the ground barefoot is found to reduce blood viscosity (linked to cardiovascular disease) and helps with overall physiological functioning.

To reap the benefits without having to literally walk in dirt (or worse, city streets), Dr. Splichal recommends opting for minimal sneakers and thinner yoga mats—and just being shoeless on the reg.

“I encourage people to get barefoot stimulation every day,” she says. “If you can do at least two physical activities a week—whether yoga, Pilates, or strength training—you’ll get a prolonged intent behind your foot. Intentionally contracting your foot and doing balance poses connects to your core and is very beneficial, granted it’s on a flat or stimulating surface.”

Okay, great—all the more reason to kick off your shoes (and socks!) at the end of a long day.

It also helps to smile—because happiness is key to better brain function. And these brain-boosting supplements are like Adderall for multitaskers. 

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The 2 vitamins that cured Lo Bosworth’s anxiety

Anyone who experiences anxiety regularly—whether in the form of sudden panic attacks or a constant, apprehensive state—knows how isolating it can feel. But lately, more people are coming forward and sharing their personal struggles.

Recently, Lo Bosworth joined the growing list of celebrities including Ellie Goulding, Kendall Jenner, and Kristen Stewart in opening up about her experience. On her website, she shares that on the outside, it looked like she had it all—including an awesome new feminine wellness company. She was killing it at work and in her personal life. No one would suspect that she was privately struggling with insomnia, a racing mind, and impulsive behavior.

“I mean, can you imagine having a 60-day-long panic attack? I can now—I lived it.”

“That all developed into a feeling of anxiety that lasted for almost two months without any relief,” Bosworth explains. “I mean, can you imagine having a 60-day-long panic attack? I can now—I lived it.”

She started therapy and medication, but showed no progress even after eight months. And then a blood test revealed the problem: she was deficient in vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Bosworth was shocked. She was young and ate healthy. How could this happen? It turned out her genes had a mutation.

Armed with this new knowledge, she upped her supplement intake and started taking probiotics. In addition to more vitamin D and B12, she started taking magnesium, turmeric, vitamin D3, serenol (for PMS), and omega-3s.

Ready for the happy part? Six months later, she was 100 percent back to her happy self.

Bosworth’s wellness journey shows that even if you live a healthy life, your body could be missing something—and that can affect your happiness in major ways. And while popping a supplement might not be your quick fix, since vitamin D and B12 are linked to lowering anxiety, it’s worth a shot and is something everyone can benefit from.

If you are anxiety-prone, here are some ways to feel better au naturel—AKA without medication—and these 10 ways to be more calm may help, too. 

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The one natural ingredient that keeps your bleached hair healthy, according to Zoe Kravitz

With every drastic beauty transformation, adjustments must be made so you can care for your new look, whether it’s totally different hairstyle, a (healthy) gel manicure, or anything else in between.

That’s especially the case for bleached hair, as Zoe Kravitz knows. The rockstar spawn and actress on HBO’s Big Little Lies recently dyed her black mane a white-hot blonde, which seems to be trending nowadays (just look at Allison Williams and Cara Delevigne).

Though the new ‘do certainly isn’t done in a natural way—it’s called bleached for a reason—Kravitz has proven that you can still care for dramatically lightened look while staying on the non-toxic side of things.

What’s the actress/musician/general badass using to keep her locks on lock? Coconut oil (of course), according to Vogue.

“My hair breaks really easily, and I think I leave a trail of blonde hair everywhere I go right now,” Kravitz says. But she has found that the MVP of natural beauty has helped her care for her tresses, which have certainly gone through a lot in terms of her dye job.

It’s something other stars have been hip to, as well—Eva Mendes, Nicole Richie, and Priyanka Chopra all use the tropical oil for lust-worthy, healthy hair. Hey, sometimes the best answer is the simplest one.

Coconut oil’s not the only natural wonder out there—you’re probably using jojoba without knowing it. And  have you tried tea tree? It’s another multitasker—here are 5 brilliant ways to use it. 

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Is Beyonce secretly in your SoulCycle class?

I’d imagine that eating for two is probably one of the more enjoyable parts of pregnancy. (An extra serving of vegan ice cream? Yes please!) Strapping into a spin bike and tapping it back, though? Not so much.

But that’s exactly what Beyonce is doing on the reg—except, in her case, she’s spinning for three. (If you haven’t heard the earth-shattering news: The superstar’s pregnant with twins.)

Beyonce’s been spotted frequenting SoulCycle (probably decked out in Ivy Park) just about every day, with hubs Jay-Z in tow.

According to Us Weekly, Beyonce’s been spotted frequenting SoulCycle (probably decked out in Ivy Park) just about every day, with hubs Jay-Z in tow. (Couples who sweat together…win Grammies together?) She’s also been seen at the high-energy spinning studio with former Destiny’s Child bandmate/current BFF (and SoulCycle aficionado) Kelly Rowland—where they’ve perhaps been getting in formation like the good ol’ days.

The Lemonade singer clearly understands that it’s totally healthy to exercise while expecting—something that fit moms-to-be in the W+G universe have known for years. See, maybe you have more in common with Queen Bey than you realized.

Now that you know Beyonce’s favorite pregnancy workout, check out the way these fitness instructors prefer to stay active while pregnant. And yes, exercise can affect your fertility.

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Bella Hadid’s genius trick for getting a great night’s sleep

You might have tried everything under the sun to get more high-quality zzz’s—hitting the sack in the buff, sudsing up with beer shower a la Margot Robbie, or sipping on some sleepytime tea.

But according to Bella Hadid, the one do-anywhere trick you might be missing out on is setting your bedtime to a soundtrack.

In a new interview with Teen Vogue, the 20-year-old model shares her secret for getting a solid night of rest, no matter where in the world her schedule takes her. (Currently? To the runways at Paris Fashion Week.)

“I recently started listening to meditation music, which makes me have a deeper sleep, even if I just have four hours,” Hadid shares. “I’m usually out by the fourth song.” Her favorite: iTunes’ 50 Best Meditation Songs Collection.

Between this solid advice and Gigi’s brilliant butt-sculpting hack, it seems like the Hadid sisters might be as good at sharing wellness tips as they are at scoring fashion campaigns.

If you’re still struggling to get a good night’s sleep, find out the surprising ways your partner might sabotaging your slumber. Or see the 5 things that actually affect you while you snooze, according to Dr. Oz. 

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The post-workout makeup tricks you need to know (courtesy of a top model)

Locker Room Look Book is Well+Good’s new video series where we share (and you’ll score) post-workout beauty and style tips from white-hot wellness stars.

You might know Emily DiDonato from one of her (many, seriously glamorous) glossy magazine ads—or maybe you’re one of her one million followers on Instagram.

But did you know the top model is also a major fitness buff, a certified yogi, and a recently minted nutritionist?

Work with your hot-yoga flush—not against it.

We followed the extremely busy multitasker to cool-girl New York City yoga spot Y7, where we learned all of DiDonato’s post-sweat secrets. Her key locker room takeaways: Opt for a cleanser without all the harsh chemicals, work with your hot-yoga flush—not against it—and employ bronzer for major eye-popping wow-factor.

On top of copping skills from professionals (“my favorite makeup artist always uses her hands” she says of her low-key foundation technique), she admits to gleaning “surprisingly good tips from 16-year-old YouTube beauty vloggers.”

Her resulting advice is daytime-makeup gold. “I don’t want to look too overdone, especially if I have a work meeting,” the model explains.

Watch the video for how to get Emily DiDonato’s model-approved beauty routine, and scroll down to shop her post-workout essentials.

Emily DiDonato's Post-Workout Must-Haves

Buy Now

Burt's Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser

$10

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Jason Age Renewal Moisturizing Cream

$11

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Sephora Collection Show Curl Eyelash Curler

$11

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Why being open about abortion is the most powerful statement a woman can make, according to this filmmaker

I’ve never had an abortion, and yet the topic has been woven intimately into my life for as long as I can remember. I come from a devout Catholic family, and piling into a bus to attend the March for Life in Washington D.C. was an annual occasion growing up—I remember proudly holding a red-and-white sign that spelled out “Abortion Kills Children.”

By freshman year of college, though, I found myself vehemently on the other side of the issue of women’s reproductive rights. I don’t remember the exact moment I became pro-choice, but one scenario from that time period stuck with me: I started taking the subway all the way across Boston to Planned Parenthood to pick up free birth control—which my health insurance didn’t cover because it was provided by my dad’s employer, the Catholic Church.

Often I’d find myself outside a clinic as protesters blocked my path and yelled at me to “reconsider” or shouted, “Save your baby and yourself!” One time, I couldn’t contain my outrage. I stopped and screamed at the assembled crowd, “I’m going here so I won’t have to have an abortion, you idiots! Leave me the fuck alone!”

Putting a human face on the hot-button topic helped to transform my understanding of abortion—which at the end of the day is a women’s health issue, not a platform for political discord.

When I got inside, the waiting room was packed with women. I knew at least some of them had to be there terminating pregnancies, and I was overwhelmed with compassion for each of them. For me, putting a human face on the hot-button topic helped to transform my understanding of abortion—which at the end of the day is a women’s health issue, not a platform for political discord.

It’s part of the reason I find the recently released Names of Women by filmmaker and social activist Poppy Liu so compelling. It’s a raw, beautiful short film in which Liu tells her story of having an abortion—a decision she says was connected to her body, health, sexuality, and power—in her own words, something she says is too often lacking from conversations about women’s bodies.

Keep reading to hear why Liu and other reproductive rights advocates say sharing women’s stories is more important now than ever.

First things first: “This is not a film about abortion,” Liu insists. “This is a film about women.”

The biopic, currently making the festival circuit, is only the latest example of how storytellers are focusing their work on sharing reproductive rights stories as a means of shifting the focus on abortions from the political to the personal. (Other important entries include 2005’s I Had an Abortion and last summer’s HBO series Abortion: Stories Women Tell.) It’s a perspective change they say is crucial to their cause.

“Storytelling is critical because it takes it out of the realm of theory and into the realm of personal, so people can see themselves and the people they love in the stories of abortion,” says Elizabeth Hira, a reproductive rights advocate and board member for the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF). “There’s a very high likelihood someone you love has had an abortion.”

“Storytelling is critical because it takes it out of the realm of theory and into the realm of personal, so people can see themselves and the people they love in the stories of abortion.”

Current research on abortions in the US puts the annual number at just over 926,000, or 14.6 for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15–44, down 12 percent from 2011. Not that you’d know it from the political debate ramping up around abortions. Issues on the chopping block include overturning the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in America, and potentially pulling federal funding from Planned Parenthood, many women’s primary source of affordable reproductive health care.

Too often in these talks, it’s the voices of the women at the center of the reproductive rights debate that are drowned out, leaving women like Liu feeling marginalized and alone. In fact, it was the isolation Liu says she felt after her abortion that led her to make Names of Women.

“What was shocking was the minute I started talking to other people about [my] story, that feeling of loneliness started going away,” she recalls. “So many people came out of the woodwork to say, ‘Me too.’ This feeling of community and solidarity and sisterhood started happening.”

I’ve seen firsthand how one brave woman can move people by sharing her own experience.

At one screening of Liu’s film (which’s now available online), a man raised his hand and said, “I just wanted to say thank you, because I’ve never had to think about this experience from a woman’s perspective before.”

At another, a Taiwanese grandfather spoke up, noting that he recognized his daughter’s face in the film and realized he wanted to hear from his children about their experiences in a deeper way. The human connections Liu forged by sharing her experience with abortion might be the key to creating a healthy dialog about women’s health issues, reproductive rights advocates say.

“What was shocking was the minute I started talking to other people about [my] story, that feeling of loneliness started going away.”

“We’re always talking about how you just have to find one point of connection with someone. That’s how we hear each other and grow,” says Names of Women co-director and editor Amanda Madden. “The whole goal is to create space and not put up walls, and that’s the first step in connecting to more people.”

The film is part of a bigger women’s storytelling movement, and it’s one example of how, at a time when reproductive rights, women’s rights, and access to health care are all threatened, many women are speaking up in ways that focus on the personal over the political. And perhaps the most powerful statement you can make is simply telling your own story.

Here’s what you need to know about the Menstrual Equality Act currently making its way through Congress (think: free tampons). Plus, a guide to talking to me about “women’s issues.”

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The one thing you can do to be happier at work

You steer clear of the office gossip, tackle your to-do list with ease, and even clock in a quick stroll around the office whenever your mind gets stuck—but yet, your 9-to-5 is still less than inspiring.

But it turns out that the one thing you should do to boost your at-work mood can be done while you’re still at home—have more sex.

Those who were getting lucky at home reported higher levels of productivity and overall happiness in their positions (no pun intended).

A new study, published in the Journal of Management, followed the work and sex habits of 159 married people over the course of two weeks and found that those with a higher roll-in-the-hay total had more positive moods the following day. But that’s not all—by completing two daily surveys on their moods, office performance, and job satisfaction, those who were getting lucky at home reported higher levels of productivity and overall happiness in their positions (no pun intended) and companies as a whole.

Just like exercise can be linked to positive mood boosts, a little extra hanky panky pre- or post-work can release dopamine and oxytocin, get your heart rate up, and even get your skin glowing. And the best part? The researchers found equal effects in both men and women.

“This is a reminder that sex has social, emotional, and physiological benefits, and it’s important to make it a priority,” study co-author Keith Leavitt, an associate professor at OSU’s College of Business, said in a statement. “Just make time for it.” And considering that a recent study found that Americans as a whole are having less sex, sounds like we have some work cut out for us.

If you’re in need of some more inspiration, find out 5 ways that working out regularly will majorly rev up your sex life. And then learn how to have mind-blowing sex using Kundalini yoga techniques.

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How to make all your meals more filling (and gut-healthy)

If you have a habit of tearing into your snack drawer at work around 11 a.m. trying to find something to hold you over until lunch, a new study has some intel on how you can switch up your morning meal and stay full longer.

It turns out that eating food in liquid form—AKA smoothies and soups—tricks your body into being satisfied sooner, and for a longer period of time, according to two studies conducted at the Nottingham Diseases Center in the UK and published in The Journal of Nutrition.

The nutrients are absorbed into the body at a slower rate, and—bonus!—more evenly distributed in the gut than solid food.

Researchers compared the effects of the same meals in sold and liquid form, on 22 volunteers. So for instance, the participants were fed a meal of chicken, veggies, and a glass of water—then, at a another time, the same ingredients were blended into a soup.

After eating the soup, the test subjects were full an entire half hour longer—even though they consumed the same amount of food. (Some pretty good info to keep in mind for those days when you know you won’t get a chance to eat lunch until after 2 p.m.)

Researchers discovered that when you have food in liquid form, the nutrients are separated from the non-nutrients (like water) faster. But after that separation, the nutrients are absorbed into the body at a slower rate, and—bonus!—more evenly distributed in the gut than solid food, which the body has to work a bit harder to break down.

And of course, then there’s the whole mind-gut connection happening, so your microbiome tells your brain that you can wait awhile to eat again. So not only are smoothies and soups easier for your body to digest, they will keep you full longer. Maybe that $20 superfood smoothie might be worth it after all?

Take this intel and run with it with these smoothie and soup recipes.

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The perfect post-workout hairstyle every busy woman needs to know about

Locker Room Look Book is Well+Good’s new video series where we share (and you’ll score) post-workout beauty and style tips from white-hot wellness stars.

If you’re blasting your sweaty locks with dry shampoo to get your hair looking workday-ready, or heading out with it sopping wet from the gym shower and hoping for the best, here’s a faster, better, super-easy solution.

New York City-based fitness phenom Taryn Toomey, founder of the seriously cathartic workout called The Class, shares this no-fail hairstyle she uses daily—which she calls the workout bouffant. It’s a modern take on the more is more ‘do that was popular in the ’60s.

“The bouffant is especially amazing for fine hair, dirty hair, got-to-get-to-work-in-10 minutes hair,” Toomey swears.

All you’ll need is a handful of bobby pins—and to watch this short how-to video.

Great, now how about your face? See more get-ready tips from Taryn Toomey and learn what’s in her makeup bag.