Jennifer Garner opened up about her anxiety during a recent Instagram Live with Peloton instructor Chelsea Jackson Roberts.
In the video, Roberts and Garner collaborated for a joint meditation, during which they spoke about mental health.
“Whenever I get anxious, everything starts to happen. My body—my heartbeat starts to beat faster, I get sweaty, I get overwhelmed, I’m scattered, [and] can’t really get grounded,” Roberts said. “And so what I find is, the more present I am, to be honest to what I’m feeling, the more I’m able to sit and open my heart to clarity, open my heart to freedom.”
Garner then revealed details of how her anxiety manifests in her everyday life.
“Sometimes it happens to me, the reverse,” she told Roberts. “I’ll feel it in my body, and then I stop and think, ‘I can tell I feel anxious. Why? What is making me…’ So I’ll feel the physical symptoms of it first before I know why.”
Roberts reminded her friend that she is far from alone in her experience, and that with the circumstances over the past two years, feeling anxious is only “human.”
“Trauma is truly anything that happens when our body, our mind, our heart is overwhelmed and does not have the capacity to deal with whatever we’re experiencing,” Roberts said, adding that the pandemic has been a collectively traumatic experience.
After they both shared their experiences with anxiety, Roberts led a guided meditation that focused on relieving tension in the body and mind.
“We’re gonna practice embracing tension, embracing the discomfort—not to hold onto it, but to love every part of ourselves, even the parts that may be uncomfortable,” Roberts said.
The guided meditation and discussion lasted about 20 minutes. Afterwards, Garner expressed deep gratitude to Roberts, not only for leading the meditation but also for having an open and honest discussion with her about anxiety.
“I’m so happy this is recorded so I can do it again,” Garner said.
Garner keeps her Instagram updated with meditation apps and practices for anyone interested in practicing.
