From mantras to meditation, mindfulness to manifestation, Well Intentioned offers an intimate look at how to make space for self-care in meaningful ways, big and small.
When word spread in beauty circles that multi-Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Keys was launching her own brand, it seemed like a natural progression for the woman who helped turn a #nomakeup moment into a movement. But Keys Soulcare, the 40-year-old’s debut line of six dermatologist-developed skin-care essentials designed to nourish the complexion (and nurture the soul), wasn’t as obvious to Keys herself. “A lot of people have always assumed that the wellness thing was natural for me, but I have only recently become clear on how I can take in better things for myself—physically, emotionally, spiritually,” says Keys, who notes that a lot of her own skin issues were due to the stress and anxiety she experienced around negative associations with traditional standards of beauty. “When I started to rebel against those ideas, and what they meant for me, it changed how I felt. And to change how you feel changes how you look.” Here, in the first installment of our new wellness series, Keys opens up about the mindfulness techniques that help her glow, grow without guilt, and “shine at full wattage.”
1. Manage Your Time
“I’m struggling with this, let me be clear. I was talking to one of my light workers recently and she was saying, ‘Your time is a currency and only you get to determine how it’s spent.’ We get into these patterns where everyone else determines how our time is spent—we’re afraid we’re not going to achieve if we’re not 100 percent productive, or someone else is going to get there first. I really want to switch that up and give myself enough space because if you create the space, you can have time for yourself and honor it. So I’m trying to make more space between everything.”
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3. Practice, Practice, Practice
4. Know Your Worth
“One of the big wellness secrets that I uncovered recently is asking myself a very simple question: ‘what’s in it for me?’ For a long time, I would feel guilty about asking that question. But I’m realizing now that it’s not selfish at all to consider yourself first and to make decisions about how good something is for you. There’s nothing wrong with that. But no one ever tells you there’s nothing wrong with asking yourself: Is this thing I’m going to put my time into going to be fulfilling, and good for me? If it’s not, then nah.”
