Jennifer Aniston’s Self-Care Routine: A Week in the Life of a Beauty Icon
I Tried Jennifer Aniston’s Self-Care Routine and Here's What Happened A Journey to Rejuvenation and Radiance
I Tried Jennifer Aniston’s Self-Care Routine—Here’s What Happened
You know those article headlines that make your heart stop when you come across them (or is that just a weird me-thing)? Imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this story in Vogue about Jennifer Aniston’s self-care routine and her secrets to looking (and feeling) as good as she does. Yes, please! After devouring the entire interview about five times, I was inspired. As a wellness editor who loves a good self-care ritual almost as much as I loved every season of Friends, I decided to channel my inner Jennifer Aniston and try out her self-care routine for one week.
This Week’s Mood: Channeling My Inner Jen
So, what happened when I traded my self-care rituals for those of a Hollywood A-lister? Did I achieve her effortless beauty and lit-from-within glow? Did Jen and I (finally) become best friends, as having the same rock-solid self-care routine would surely make happen? Read on for Jennifer Aniston’s self-care rituals I added to my routine based on her interview with Vogue and my experience trying out each of them.
1. No Phone for the First Hour After Waking: Breaking the Morning Scroll Cycle
The first step in Jen’s self-care routine is probably what I need the most: less phone time. As someone who rolls over and checks Instagram within 30 seconds of waking up, it’s definitely time for a morning routine makeover. Jennifer keeps her phone stored elsewhere and uses iPods or old iPhones for alarm clocks and sleep apps (which I probably would too if I was paid a billion dollars every time a Friends episode aired).
At the end of the week, I have to be honest: My mornings were so much better. I had more time to fit in meditation (more on that below). Additionally, I felt less stressed when my first thought of the day was not centered around catching up on other people’s lives or texts I had missed. I’m even inspired to keep my current phone when I get a new one just to use it for sleep apps and alarm clocks. It’s bougie, but it’s also pretty genius.
2. Use the Pattern App: Get to Know Yourself (and Others) on a Deeper Level
While not a core piece of her self-care routine, Jennifer mentioned using the Pattern app, and I had to give it a try. If it’s good enough for Jennifer Aniston, it’s good enough for me. (Also, it’s free, so I’m down.) This app blew my mind. It uses data to help you better understand yourself and others for the purpose of deeper connections.
You can use it as a tool to understand yourself better, make goals, or even connect with people who share similar personalities and values. It’s like a dating app, but instead of swiping left on gym selfies, you’re matched based on your deepest personality traits. I learned that I’m self-critical, deep, and passionate, and that I need to let go of the past. It’s actually cool, and I thank the app gods and Jennifer Aniston for bringing this fascinating tool into my life for free.
3. DIY a Collagen Latte: Sip Your Way to Beauty
Probably the best thing to come out of this experiment is that I finally know Jennifer Aniston’s coffee order. Scratch that—her coffee routine. So when I order Starbucks, I will no longer tell the barista that a grande cold brew with one pump hazelnut and an inch of coconut milk is my order. It’s my coffee routine. In a pleasantly surprising twist of events, Jen’s morning coffee is pretty doable.
Luckily, for this experiment, I already had a milk frother ready to go, a gallon of almond milk on hand, and some collagen that I typically add to smoothies. Once I nailed the hot coffee routine, I liked knowing I was getting some extra nutrients and protein in my coffee.
4. Be Mindful of What Your Eyes and Ears Ingest: Nourish Your Mind and Soul
PSA: Your mouth and stomach are not the only body parts that digest. Jen is protective of her boundaries by limiting news sources, social media, and negative content. It makes me really happy that Jen is protecting herself because I would protect her at all costs. But this is actually a really great point because health is not only about choosing the best way to nourish our bodies with food. It’s also about nourishing our minds and souls.
At the end of the week, I not only focused on what not to watch, listen to, and read, but I also made a conscious effort to consume more of what I want to watch, listen to, and read. I read inspiring books and listened to motivating podcasts. To no one’s surprise, it was truly the most motivated I had been in a long time—and not just because I’ve been comparing myself to Jennifer Aniston a little too much.
5. Meditate After Making Coffee: Finding Zen With Each Sip
Meditation was by far the most drastic change that came out of this week for me. It’s something I always think I should do but never really make time for. Jen explained that she meditates after “a few sips of coffee,” so I panicked because I wasn’t sure if she takes the rest of the coffee with her to meditate or lets her coffee sit there and get cold after a few sips. I need a detailed play-by-play, Jennifer! Ultimately, I ended up sitting down on my couch with my bougie latte in hand for about five minutes of meditation.
Jen uses Insight Timer, so I used it and tried the courses she mentioned: lowering anxiety and how to create gratitude and abundance. Through this experiment, I learned that I definitely prefer guided meditations. Insight Timer achieved what it promised for me. I instantly felt a little less anxious throughout the day and also felt major gratitude. Morning meditation gets 5/5 stars from me.
6. Adopt a Pro-Aging Mindset: Embrace Each Age with Grace
As someone in their late twenties, how I feel about aging is not a topic I’ve put much thought into. But we can all agree that of all celebs, Jennifer Aniston is the first one to come to mind when thinking of the buzzphrase “aging gracefully.” Not only does she look phenomenal at every age, but it also seems like she hasn’t resisted getting older. Rather, she’s adjusted her hair, beauty routine, and relationships to each phase of her life.
The biggest lesson I learned from Jennifer Aniston’s pro-aging mindset is also something I’ve learned from my mom’s aging mentality: We are lucky to be able to get older because a lot of people don’t get the chance. I’m sure I’ll feel less hunky dory about it when I get crow’s feet and gray hairs. But I do believe there’s something to be said about enjoying every age of life instead of wishing we could be younger. This week, I made an effort to make decisions for my future self by eating fruits and veggies, getting enough sleep, and moving my body. Taking care of myself now is an investment in my future self.
7. Keep Learning and Educating Yourself: Grow into Your Best Self
It’s totally relatable that Jen casually mentioned wanting to educate herself more. So her manager arranged conversations with icons like Jay Shetty, Jessica Yellin, and David Sinclair. But as a total wellness nerd who loved school, I love that learning is a key part of Jen’s self-care routine. The goal of wellness is growth: growing in health, self-love, and knowledge. When we’re constantly learning, we’re constantly growing.
I always make an effort to attend lectures, listen to podcasts, and read books to expand my health knowledge. But the major change from this week was how I saw those efforts. I saw education as a way to care for myself, not just as a career extension. Education helps us grow as people, not just job titles. If you ask me, that’s caring for yourself more than a face mask or smoothie ever could.
8. Supplement Your Health with Products that Work: Turn Your Genes Back On
To quote Jennifer Aniston quoting Dr. Sinclair, “As we age, our cells start to shut down, and the lights in our body turn off. But you can turn those lights, those genes, back on.” One of the ways Jennifer likes to turn those genes back on and age as healthy as possible is through tried and true supplements, like collagen.
Throughout the week, I was consistent with taking the supplements and vitamins my doctor and I decided were best for me. I thought of these supplements as an investment in my future self and a way to “keep the lights in my body turned on” as I get older. You bet I won’t forget to take my multivitamin again.
The Verdict: Effortless Beauty Starts with Mindset
Overall, following an A-lister’s self-care routine was surprisingly doable. I loved spending a little extra time prioritizing the things I typically forget about, like tech-free time or meditation. However, the biggest takeaway I got from spending a week as Jennifer Aniston (I mean basically, right?) is that mindset is her secret. She cares about health because she wants to live the longest, happiest life possible. She’s not using self-care rituals as a mask to achieve an “ideal weight” or to stay young forever. Now, if that doesn’t sound like the moral of a movie where Jen would play the lovable protagonist, I don’t know what does.
So, are you ready to channel your inner Jennifer Aniston and embrace her effortless beauty and mindset? Give her self-care routine a try and see how it transforms your life. And let’s not forget, we may not have her TV fortune, but we can still glow like her!
