Reisha Shetty Junior Digital Writer

Jennifer Lopez is an absolute icon, there we said it. And with a career as illustrious as hers, people tend to forget that celebrities too (Lopez included) have their personal struggles that they’re battling everyday. Lopez has been in the entertainment industry for a long time, and she’s given us some iconic movies and tracks (The Wedding Planner, ‘Let’s Get Loud’). But, initially, this impacted her health more than she could have ever imagined.

Taking to her newsletter, On The JLo, the singer shared that she slept only for three to five hours a night while filming, recording new music, and making appearances on the weekend. This gradually resulted in her mental and physical health getting worse, up to the point where she started “feeling physically paralysed” and “couldn’t see clearly” until she realised that she was experiencing a panic attack. “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,” JLo shared. She added, “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 are going to do this much work.”

Realising how serious the consequences could be of ignoring what her body and mind needed, the Hustlers actor began her wellness journey. By her own admission, she wanted to focus on living a healthy life instead of wasting energy on anti-ageing. “Sometimes I wake up and say, ‘Wow! I just lost 10 years off my face’,” reveals Lopez.

Now instead of falling down the Instagram rabbit hole, maybe you take a page out of JLo’s wellness diary and listen to what your body needs—a balanced life.