1. Zendaya

HACK: COLOR

Zendaya has talked about having a ‘coloring station’ in her house. She likes to have a choice of many coloring books, to suit her mood.  Zendaya says that this activity helps her deal with stress.

What can I do? Print off some coloring sheets, or buy a coloring book.  The next time you feel stressed, take some time to color. 

2. Joe Jonas

HACK: CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF FIRST

Joe Jonas believes in the importance of “check[ing] in with yourself before you check in with anyone else.” He starts most of his days sitting in silence, or brushing his teeth, while using HeadSpace (the app).  He says that this helps him check in with himself first, before he checks social media or responds to texts.  We can all relate to Jonas, as it is easy it is to get distracted and caught up with school work, and the internet, leaving little time for self care. 

What can I do? Start your day off without checking social media or texts.  Eat breakfast, brush your teeth, get ready, and ‘check-in’ with yourself.  Ask yourself, “How am I feeling today, what am I excited about today?” While doing all of the previously listed things, think about what you want to get done today, how you’re feeling, and how you’re going to try to make today a good day. 

3. Megan Thee Stallion

HACK: ASK FOR HELP

Megan did a lot of reflection after losing both of her parents (her mother in 2019, and her father as a teen).  She decided that she wanted to get help, and wanted go to therapy.  This isn’t something to be ashamed of!  In fact, many people that you know probably go to therapy, they just don’t want to talk about it.  Megan mentioned that “As a Black person, and when you think of therapy, you think of, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m weak,’ you think of medication, and you just think the worst. That’s kind of what you see on TV too; like, therapy wasn’t even presented in the media as something that was good. Now it’s becoming safe to say, ‘All right now, there’s a little too much going on. Somebody help me.'”

What can I do? If you need to talk to someone, talk to someone.  Share your thoughts and emotions with a friend, parent, teacher, or school counsellor.  If you don’t feel safe talking to someone in your life, text or call one of the numbers at the bottom of this BITS post.

Remember, it is okay to ask for help.  You’re not weak; in fact you have insight and strength.  You’re just recognizing what’s going on, and you need just a bit of extra support.

4. Kendall Jenner

HACK: JOURNAL & READ

Kendall Jenner has shared her experiences with anxiety and depression. She believes it’s important to have a space where you can let out your anger, and stress, list frustrating things, and things that give you a small bit of happiness.  She tries to put her thoughts in a journal once or twice a week.  Kendall Jenner also finds reading a great distraction, helping stop her mind from spiralling. 

What can I do? Get a journal and release all your thoughts into it, or mentally list three things you’re grateful for daily.  When you find your thoughts spiralling, or you’re overthinking things, find a book and read it as a distraction.   

5. Kristen Bell

HACK: MAKE A CHECKLIST

After dealing with mental health struggles in the past, Kristen Bell prioritizes checking in with herself. When she feels low, Bell creates a checklist of the good and bad things happening in her life. When she does this, she can understand whether there really is a problem, or if it’s her current mental state. 

What can I do? When you feel low, you can create a checklist of the good things in your life, and the bad. Once the list is complete, you can see if you’re in a bad state of mind, or if there is a problem going on.