The pressures and lifestyle of Hollywood have done irrevocable damage to many celebrities. Many fight it and find their own way to survive and carry on, while others succumb to it. Thankfully, Jennifer Lopez fell in the former category.
The actress, who is now 52, recalled the time in her 20s when her career’s demands caught up to her. Lopez revealed that she suffered severe panic attacks which made her feel “physically paralyzed” due to exhaustion. Lopez detailed all this and more in the latest edition of her On the JLo newsletter.
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Jennifer Lopez Reveals Details Of The Panic Attacks She Suffered In Her 20s
The Grammy Award nominee wrote how she thought she was “invincible” as she touched new heights of fame back in the day, but soon, the pitfalls started popping up. Jennifer Lopez wrote, “There was a time in my life where I used to sleep 3 to 5 hours a night. I’d be on set all day and in the studio all night and doing junkets and filming videos on the weekends. I was in my late 20s and I thought I was invincible.”
She continued, “Until one day, I was sitting in a trailer, and all the work and the stress it brought with it, coupled with not enough sleep to recuperate mentally, caught up with me. I went from feeling totally normal to thinking about what I needed to do that day and all of a sudden I felt as if I couldn’t move.”
Lopez was “completely frozen” and said she “couldn’t see clearly”. As per her, these physical symptoms then “started to scare me and the fear compounded itself. Now I know it was a classic panic attack brought on by exhaustion, but I had never even heard the term at the time.”
Lopez’s Journey To Wellness
Jennifer Lopez advised her fans on the importance of sleep, having suffered the consequences of the lack of it for a long time. There was a time when she even questioned her sanity until a health professional made it clear that she needed to re-evaluate her lifestyle. Lopez soon suffered a scary experience and decided to transform her outlook on physical and mental health.
“My security guard on set came in and picked me up and drove me to the doctor. By the time I got there, I could at least speak again and I was so terrified I thought I was losing my mind,” Lopez recalled. “I asked the doctor if I was going crazy. He said, ‘No, you’re not crazy. You need sleep … get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, don’t drink caffeine, and make sure you get your workouts in if you’re going to do this much work.'”
The singer-actress admitted that she “let my own self-care needs go completely” as she achieved one milestone after another. Her career as a performer – studio albums and film appearances – made her known around the world. She became one of the most sought-after artists. But, she realized how she had put immense pressure on her body and mind.
“I realized how serious the consequences could be of ignoring what my body and mind needed to be healthy — and that’s where my journey to wellness began,” Lopez added.
Today, she does everything “to live a very healthy and balanced life.” The star who is in her 50s is one of the most gorgeous and fittest stars in Hollywood and people often wonder how she maintains her young looks. Well, Lopez’s wellness philosophy is “about pro-living versus anti-aging.” So, she gets plenty of sleep, eats healthy and lives the good life.
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