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How Phylicia Rashad Is Coping With the Pandemic

From meditation to honoring nature the actress shares 7 things you can try

Kim Tinsley . Here she shares a few lessons learned. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

1 Get quiet

I've been a student of Siddha yoga meditation for 40 years, but I find it especially nourishing now, offering up a greater appreciation for the little things.

2 Eat what you want

When the pandemic started, I ate kale, collard greens and green beans almost every day. Then I changed it up to coconut milk ice cream, gluten-free pie and this great rye bread I'd use for my avocado toast. Yes, I did that.

3 Be woke

If we could just lean back and see how we created these hurtful inequities in the world, we'd ask, do we really want to continue being this way?

4 Zoom on br

Phylicia Rashad (middle) in "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey." Gareth Gatrell/Netflix I've disparaged , but it allows me to do so much now, like have virtual talks with students and record Shakespeare for radio, instead of performing it in the park. Who knew?

5 Reconsider nature

Everything — , forests, air — is just happier today without all our human activity. I've been honoring that by not driving unless I must and using less water and electricity.

6 Reimagine life

Before all this, I went about my business with a kind of certainty about what is, how it ought to go. The truth is, I don't know what's to come — I don't even understand everything that's here.

7 Have hope

I'm in three new films. [Netflix] is a magical holiday classic about what's possible. [Pixar] is an animated feature about following your passion. And [Amazon] explores the idea of consciousness. Each really goes inside the human being, the human spirit, and I love that. It gives me hope. —As told to Marilyn Milloy Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad narrates Jingle Jangle, out in November. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS