Gillian Anderson has captivated audiences for decades, not only with her remarkable talent but also with her candidness and strength. From her iconic role as Dana Scully in The X-Files to her later performances in shows like Hannibal, American Gods, The Crown, and Sex Education, Anderson has consistently demonstrated her versatility and commitment to her craft. But beyond her professional achievements, Anderson's approach to wellness and self-acceptance offers valuable insights for anyone seeking a balanced and fulfilling life.
Embracing Imperfection and Finding Balance
Anderson's perspective on navigating the entertainment industry is refreshingly down-to-earth. She shared with InStyle that she avoids taking herself too seriously, recognizing the importance of not letting rejection affect her. This resilience is fostered by a strong support system of friends and family in the U.K., which she considers essential to her well-being.
For Anderson, wellness is about achieving balance in all aspects of life. As she told New Beauty, it's about getting enough sleep, meditating, eating healthfully, and finding harmony between work, family, friends, and intellectual stimulation. She also emphasizes the importance of cultural enrichment.
Overcoming Challenges and Seeking Support
Anderson has been open about her struggles with mental health, including experiencing "mini-breakdowns" during the intense filming of The X-Files. She also shared her experiences with severe depression and perimenopause. She experienced a time where she felt she wasn’t in control of her life. She sought help from various doctors, all with different opinions.
Her experience highlights the importance of seeking help and support when facing mental health challenges. She emphasizes the need for open conversations about perimenopause and its effects on mental health, including symptoms like anxiety, depression, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, and fatigue.
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Self-Care Practices for Mind and Body
Anderson prioritizes self-care practices that nurture both her mind and body. She emphasizes the importance of meditation, telling New Beauty that she starts her day with it to center herself. She also expressed interest in incorporating more yoga into her routine.
Skincare and Self-Acceptance
Anderson understands the importance of taking care of her skin. In an interview with New Beauty, she shared her favorite products, including Clinique Moisture Surge Gel and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. She is pretty dependent on Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer-I rely on it-that’s a staple. It feels natural, moisturizing, smooth and silky and gives great coverage without making it feel like I’m wearing anything.
She began to pay more attention to it when she was in her 40s. As a result, “I began to pay more attention to it,” she said. “I started using a mixture over the years of Clinique and Estee Lauder.” Still, she added, she’s not obsessive about it. “It’s not a huge part of my life, but I’ve began making an attempt to use some of the stuff that’s out there. And you know, I think it works. I think my skin definitely feels better,” she said.
Anderson also embraces aging and challenges societal perceptions of beauty. She told Vogue that seeing herself change on film can be traumatic, but it can also instigate a shift in consciousness toward thinking about what’s important. She also shared with New Beauty that she’s trying to keep a European mindset when it comes to aging, and it seems to be working out for her. “I think in Europe, in general, there’s a sense that women who age naturally can be beautiful, whereas I’m not so sure that’s the perception in America, specifically in L.A.” she said. “I think that it’s seen as a flaw, somehow-like wrinkles are a flaw.”
She advocates for celebrating perceived "flaws" and remembering that "how one looks in the mirror is the youngest one will ever look again."
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Diet and Exercise: Finding What Works
Anderson maintains a healthy lifestyle through a balanced approach to diet and exercise. She is interested in the raw food diet but has been told that it’s not particularly good for women. She likes the idea of eating that clean; that appeals to me, but I’ve never been brave enough to actually try it for any period of time.” Anderson said that she usually tries to avoid “high carbs” but she still loves having a Coke here and there. “I know it’s not good for me, but I drink it anyway,” she said.
She exercises, but doesn’t go overboard. The actress looks incredibly fit, but she said she doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying about her exercise routine. “I go through stages of yoga a few times a week and throw in some running.” She also hires a personal trainer sporadically to get in shape for new roles.
Advocacy and Empowerment
Anderson has long been a champion of pay equity in Hollywood. She first fought for equal pay for herself back when she was a "nobody" on "The X-Files," and was outraged to have to do it again years later when she participated in the show's revival.
Anderson told THR that she was initially offered only half of what Duchovny was offered to film the revival. "We were going back to do another season and Fox came to me to offer, I don’t know, a 10th of what my co-star (David Duchovny) was being offered. That was the point where I was like, 'F--- this. I’m actually going to talk about this (publicly),'" she said.
She has also been vocal about the importance of women supporting each other and speaking openly about their experiences.
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Lessons in Mental Health
Battling a mental health issue, symptoms associated with perimenopause, cancer, or learning to move forward after treatment can be an extremely stressful time for so many people.
Dr. Marianna Strongin, a clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy, has been helping the SurvivorNet community by sharing coping mechanisms and a structured way to think about handling these issues.
Dr. Strongin says that one of the main causes of anxiety is uncertainty about life, and a cancer battle can fuel anxiety for individuals because of the lack of uncertainty about the future.
The first step for coping during stressful circumstances is understanding one’s anxiety. To do this, Dr. Strongin suggests checking in with oneself everyday to see where the anxiety is manifesting and what questions are causing the anxiety. From there, it’s important to answer those questions and reassure oneself with positivity.