How Does Jennifer Aniston Stay So Positive? Meditation and Gratitude Journaling May Be Her Secret
Through the ages, Hollywood has seen many young stars journey from the heights of fame, to the depths of failure. Whether it’s the rush of popularity, the pressures of the public eye, or the overly hyped Hollywood lifestyle, celebrities often fail to make the best of their journeys, despite appearing to have it all.
Jennifer Aniston, however, was not one of the celebrities to succumb to this trope. At 51 years of age, long after her time as Rachel Green on Friends, she is still as positive, kind, and successful as ever.
Aniston and many of her famous contemporaries and friends are setting a new standard for what it means to be a veteran actor today, and it a lot of it circles around health and gratitude.
Jennifer Aniston has her parents to thank for her positive outlook
In a recent cover story for Interview magazine, Sandra Bullock, fellow actress and good friend of Aniston’s, interviewed the Morning Show star in what felt like just a chat between old friends.
During the course of the interview, Aniston revealed some interesting information about her past. Bullock complimented Aniston on how safe and joyous her home feels and asked her how she stays so “buoyant.”
Aniston replied: “First of all, that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She went on to describe how she grew up in a household that “felt unsafe.” She said this made her think: “‘I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to experience this feeling I’m having in my body right now. I don’t want anyone else that I ever come in contact with ever to feel that.’ So I guess I have my parents to thank.”
Jennifer Aniston has a morning routine that keeps her on track
We can all decide we want to be kinder and more joyous, but it’s really daily practices that cement in those types of decisions in place for the long haul.
Aniston has been getting a lot of attention lately for being a big proponent of intermittent fasting, along with her Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon (who also played one of Rachel’s little sisters on Friends). They have both said they avoid solid foods for at least 16 hours, opting to drink juice in the mornings before having any solid foods or coffee. They do their workouts in the mornings.
While fasting and working out may keep Aniston in shape and feeling physically healthy, it’s her daily meditation and gratitude journaling that may just be the reason she’s so joyous. Yes, physical activity does have mental health benefits as well, but there are plenty of unhappy people working out daily at the gym, so it’s certainly a cure-all.
“I try to write down a gratitude list every morning as well, it always gives you a thankful shift. I’m just grateful for all of it,” Aniston told People magazine in 2017.
She’s also a practitioner of meditation. She told POPSUGAR: “It’s like a kick start for your day. It just centers you. Your stress levels are just down and you find yourself interacting in the world much easier and better and in a calmer way.”
Meditation and gratitude practices have proven positive health effects
Meditation has been around for thousands of years, but has recently been picking up in popularity in western culture thanks to a growing understanding of its measurable effects on the brain and body. Many of us now know that meditation has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and increase a sense of peace and calm. It can also help with improving memory and focus.
A strong practice of gratitude journaling has similar effects, as it takes meditation or mindfulness on gratitude to really experience the feeling fully.
What Aniston is doing is nothing new, and yet it is still all too rare among celebrities and everyday people. Celebrities oftentimes set the trends for the rest of us, so here’s hoping this one continues to catch on. It’s simple, free, and can be done by anyone.
