Many of us first fell in love with Hailee Steinfeld at the young age of 13 when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in True Grit. Now, at 26 years old with over a decade of experience as an actor and singer, the star is becoming more familiar with what works best for her. Amidst the chaos of fame and all that comes with it, Steinfeld has had to find a way to maintain balance. During a panel, “Where Balance Begins,” sponsored by Core Hydration, Steinfeld shared some of what she’s learned about wellness along the way.
The discussion surrounded the ins and outs of staying grounded and checking in with yourself. Alongside Steinfeld was the brilliant therapist Lindsay Fleming, LPC and the hilarious wellness influencer Chinae Alexander. Steinfeld had a bunch of helpful tips on these topics, but she also notes that wellness “doesn’t have to be about this big old end result. It can be about the process,” which is helpful to keep in mind when the journey feels long.
Nature, music and dogs
When Steinfeld needs to ground herself amidst a busy schedule, sometimes it’s just a matter of what she has time for but will still be effective. “Whether it’s a 15-minute walk or just sitting down in some grass, I find nature to be really grounding, listening to music, calling a friend, any of those things can help. I have super, super cute dogs that are stress relievers—Brando and Martini.”
Connecting with family on the phone
“I call my family all the time. I’m so surprised that they [actually pickup]. I’ll hang up and call them right back. I don’t always need someone to talk to. I just want them to be there,” says Steinfeld. “You can find stillness within just being there on the phone.”
Journaling: a long-time love affair for Hailee Steinfeld
“I’m obsessed with journals, like a physical journal. My poor mom, I don’t know what she spent on journals growing up for me. I’d write on five different pages then want a new book,” says Steinfeld. “Then, as I got older, I felt like I had to fill every page before I got into a new book that inspired me or I felt would represent a new chapter. But it’s not about that.”
Sometimes she found herself thinking, “I’m not really getting anywhere with this, but it feels good.” She can now recognize that she should have stopped there and known that feeling better is exactly why she was doing it, but sometimes she got caught up in feeling like a story had to be told as if people were going to see it.
Steinfeld recalls putting pressure on herself, feeling like she was “writing to the world.” She adds that “the updates were insane,” sometimes even including a video diary where she’d carry around an old clunky MacBook and detail her day. She remembers thinking, at the time, “Who would be interested in this?” but now, of course, everybody is. Alexander jokes that when Steinfeld greeted the camera with “Hi everyone” back in the day, it’s now literally the actor’s life. “Now I’m like, it’s a good thing there wasn’t just an upload button right there,” says Steinfeld.
She has gone back to her old habit of journaling. “All you need is two or three minutes to get something out of your head and on paper, even if you rip it up and throw it out after, it’s no longer yours. It’s out there.”
