As a full-time travel editor and mother of two myself, I’m always interested in talking to other working parents about the pressures of juggling full-time roles. It seems we live in a time when, not only do we need to succeed professionally while raising smart, kind, well-adjusted children, but we’re expected to look and feel happy, healthy, and perfectly content to do so. Unfortunately, self care is one of the first things to go out the window as a parent when free time is scarce.
I sat down with model and actor Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, fresh off the launch of her new clean beauty business, Rose Inc., and the birth of her daughter. As no stranger to a packed schedule, she spoke of the importance of listening to your own body, creating wellbeing rituals you can actually stick with, and the incredibly healing power of traveling to a beautiful place with a good friend.
Personal wellness is such a buzz word right now, and it means something different to everyone. What does it mean to you?
For me, it means trying to find the best version of yourself. It’s a quest that is evolving constantly, but I define wellness as that striving to find the healthiest you, mentally and physically. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how important this journey is in my day to day life. Honestly, in my 20s, I didn’t even think about wellness. It sounded… crunchy? Or like it was something older people pondered. But I was young and things were easy. At that age, you hop out of bed feeling great, and you have the free time to go to the gym every day because you aren’t juggling crazy deadlines and endless commitments. But in my 30s, especially after I had my second child and was dealing with some postpartum issues, I experienced, for the first time, what it was like to feel unwell.
What did you do to start feeling better?
It was maybe three months after I gave birth to my daughter and I was stressed out and having headaches all the time. I felt uncomfortable in my own body. I went to a day spa and the therapist looked at me and said “hot, then cold.” I said, “thanks, but that sounds horrible, and I’m not getting into that cold pool.” But then I was in the sauna and the plunge pool was sort of beckoning to me. Childbirth was fresh enough in my mind that I figured freezing water couldn’t be that bad. And I knew I’d have bragging rights. It was amazing! I’m a cold convert. There’s nothing like it. I finish every morning shower off with a blast of cold water. And these little things, these routines and seemingly small rituals, matter. They can make a big difference in how you feel, mentally and physically.
