Recent Posts
Entertainment January 16, 2017
Via @praisethelourd InstagramBillie Lourd has had a rough few weeks enduring the heartbreaking losses of both her mother, Carrie Fisher, and grandmother, Debbie Reynolds.
Now she’s getting a much needed sunshine break having flown to Cabo with “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner.
Aside from her occasional Instagram posts thanking her fans for their support, Lourd had kept pretty silent about her emotional battles. But now she’s letting the world know she’s taking some rest and relaxation time and for those of you who may also need some quality R&R, here are some things you can learn from Lourd’s vacation.
READ MORE: 9 Quotes from Carrie Fisher to Help You Battle the Dark Side
Take a tip from Billie Lourd and jet off to your favorite vacation spot. It doesn’t matter if you’re basking in the sunlight in Cabo or spending the weekend at your best friend’s house; one of the simplest ways to lift your mood is to change your surroundings and to take some time off.
In a survey conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center, it shows that people who spent more time doing something they enjoyed, including taking a vacation, “reported more life satisfaction [and] finding more meaning in life,” as reported by NPR. When discussing these results, organizational psychologist Jessica de Bloom explains, “People felt healthier during vacation. They had a better mood. They were less tense, they had a higher level of energy and they were more satisfied with their lives.”
And when you pick your next vacation destination, consider the way different types of environments can make you feel.
Nature, for example, has the power to lull your nervous system. A study published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine reveals that “forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments.”
A photo posted by Taylor Lautner (@taylorlautner) on
Find someone in your life who, like Taylor Lautner, recognizes and praises your strength, beauty and fearlessness. When you need to take a break from your surroundings, it’s best to do it in good company. There has been speculation that the pair are more than just good friends but nothing has been confirmed by either one so far.
“Good friends are good for your health,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Friends not only provide much-needed companionship, they also increase your sense of belonging, reduce your stress, improve your self-confidence and help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, illness and death. The Mayo Clinic also reports that people who have strong support groups have a reduced risk of depression and are likely to live longer than people with fewer connections.
READ MORE: Carrie Fisher Raised Her Daughter Gender-Neutral; Why You Should, Too
Essentially, if you’ve got good friends around you when you need it most, you have a steady access to people you can lean on whenever needed.
When you’re feeling down, sometimes all you need to do is reflect on the good things that have happened in the past. Aside from taking a much needed break, Billie Lourd has also spent her time sharing the positive memories she has of her mother and grandmother.
But the most important thing to learn from all these Instagram posts is that although she’s reminiscing on their positive memories, she’s also honest about the negative emotions. In her most recent picture, she captions it with, “Finding the funny might take a while but I learned from the best and her voice will forever be in my head and in my heart.”
Feelings, no matter how negative they are, are important to experience. “There is really nothing to fear about feelings,” writes psychotherapist Richard O’Connor in “Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn’t Teach You and Medication Can’t Give You.” In his book, he uses the example of a buoy, saying that although negative emotions can knock us down like waves, we have a balance that will always return to a stable position.
So it’s okay to use your memories as a sort of comfort or as a way to express your sadness.
love has no end ❤️??? pic.twitter.com/PdlistOP7k
— billie lourd (@LourdBillie) January 3, 2017
“The expression of suppressed feelings, when it’s done in a stable environment, can lift a depressed mood,” O’Connor adds. “A good cry, a healthy argument, an appropriate assertion of our rights, a careful exploration of hidden feelings – these can help us feel better.”
READ MORE: Listening to Pharrell Williams Can Cure Stress and Make You Happy
