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Every week, Vogue will be spotlighting tastemakers across industries to hear how they’ve been approaching self-care during the coronavirus pandemic. We asked seven-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, producer, and artist Alanis Morissette about how she has been staying sane at home. Should you already be a fan of the “Jagged Little Pill” singer, then you know she is keeping busy by reading new books, spending time in her garden, and practicing self-care. Here, Morissette shares her must-haves, from essential oils to her favorite foam roller.
1. I’m moon bathing.
When everyone is asleep...and it’s warm enough...I lie out under the moon and listen to the pin-drop silence.
2. I’m wrestling.
Sometimes tender, sometimes downright wild, snuggling and wrestling and smooching my children is an oxytocin party for all of us. I am willing to bear a few bruises for this.
3. I’m continuing to make art.
I have always come back home to myself when I dance, make music, write...so many forms of expression.
4. I’m meditating.
Meditating, sitting in the deep stillness has almost always been a regulating force for me. It is not always the best option for those of us who are challenged by being left alone with the cruel critic or mean voices we can sometimes hear.
When I am in the middle of a panic attack, sometimes instead of stillness only, I will scan every part of my experience and quietly name it while I breathe through the whole panic attack (which is sometimes 30 minutes). I.e.: Tight chest. Holding breath. Racing thoughts (try not to follow them down the rabbit hole if you can). Clenched hands. Sweating. Heart beating really fast. Nausea...name them. Breathe. Notice if by being with the sensations, and not resisting them, if they change or shift. I have done this five times now—I have a nightly panic attack—and it has helped me immeasurably.
5. I’m reading.
These days a paragraph a night is a feat, but an important one. Books have always been some of my best friends.
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6. I’m breathing in essential oils.
So much focus on health, immunity, and grounding right now. Each night I pick two or three of my favorite oils, and I hold it right under my nose and inhale until my lungs are full, then a tiny bit more. [Then I] repeat, about five times. Slowness is key. Holding my breath at the top is also key.
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7. I’m foam rolling.
When I am about to sleep, which is scarce right now, I use my foam roller and/or my bolster before I close my eyes. Stretch, deep-tissue massage, strengthen—whatever my body needs.
8. I’m sitting in our garden.
I am not the naturalist intelligence one in our family; my husband, Souleye, is. He is the green thumb magician. I sneak out when I can and just sit, watching what has sprung up and notice the rhythms of the ebb and flow of garden life. Of seasonal changes, of trusting the process.
9. I’m cooking soup.
My favorite food in the world is any kind of soup—the higher the nutrient the better. And, for me, super spicy. Very grounding. Soup as TLC.
P.S.: Kimchi and greens are common soup go-to’s.
10. I’m binge-watching TV.
And by binge-watch, I mean keeping my eyes open til halfway through and waking up during the credits.