Dua Lipa shares 6 tips on looking after your mental health

Dua Lipa has racked up an impressive list of achievements while on lockdown in London with boyfriend Anwar Hadid. Her second album Future Nostalgia claimed the number one spot (the first solo female artist of 2020 to do so), a triumph which was no doubt boosted by that epic performance of Don’t Start Now on The Late Late Show. The 24-year-old has also unleashed some of our favourite quarantine looks (chameleonic dye jobs and Paco Rabanne’s daisy-print knotted shirt included).

It appears she’s taking it all in her stride, but she’s actually the first to admit that’s not the full picture. Making a guest appearance on model and activist Adwoa Aboah’s Gurls Talk podcast, the New Rules singer got candid about mental-health issues—opening up about life during lockdown, releasing music in the middle of a pandemic and why she’s one of many who don’t feel creatively energised right now. “I’m not ready to write anything new,” Lipa told Aboah. “I don’t feel inspired for the next record just yet.”

Here are Dua Lipa’s six tips for looking after your mental health:

1. Make peace with unpredictability
Talking about the reality of releasing her second album during the pandemic, Lipa revealed this tumultuous period has forced her to slow down. “It’s weird to have had such a clear plan and it all goes out [of] the window, but [then] realise that it’s all OK and that maybe we need to slow down a bit, take a bit [of time], have some patience with ourselves.”

2. Kindness—whether virtual or IRL—really matters
The popstar got real about the importance of human connections at this time, which she’s described as eye-opening. Especially when it comes to not taking friendships for granted. “We’re more empathetic and it does feel different. I hope we take from this the good things, when it’s all over, because [there] has been such an abundance of love that I feel people have been sharing with one another, even people you don’t know through social media.”

3. Stick to a routine
Aligning her schedule with friends has helped the star feel less out of sync. “My friends and I will wake up and set [up] a FaceTime date and do a workout together. […] It almost feels as though we’re all doing it in the same place. That brings a little bit of normality and in some way makes things easier for sure.”

4. Plan a breather away from social media
“I don’t think I could have done my second record if I hadn’t taken a step back from social media,” Lipa told Aboah, explaining that the pressure of maintaining an online presence, coupled with a barrage of hateful trolls, affected her ability to enjoy what she’d achieved. Ultimately, she opted to minimise her social-media usage and steer clear of Twitter in order to regain her confidence.

5. Write a journal
“Get a piece of paper and write down what you’re thinking, [it] doesn’t even have to make sense, but I think it really helps.”

6. Giving back, if you can, is important
Supporting international organisations, such as Unicef and UNHCR, who are working with vulnerable members of society susceptible to coronavirus, has given Lipa a sense of purpose during the pandemic. “A lot of us are fortunate enough to be able to self-isolate with family, friends, loved ones, but there are lots of people around the world, refugees who live in overcrowded areas, who don’t have access to basic human needs such as soap and water.”