The craft of self-care officially has its queen: Lupita Nyong’o!
The “Us” actress was able to do something many of us can only dream about: Go into total isolation and sit in silence for days on end. The March 2019 Marie Claire cover girl revealed the unique vacation idea was a gift to herself after wrapping up the whirlwind madness of “Black Panther.”
“It was the best gift because, the thing is, my job has two main parts,” she told the fashion glossy. “There’s the acting, and there’s the celebrity. And the celebrity involves a lot of giving.”
All that giving clearly took its toll. It inspired her to find solace in a quiet locale in Texas.
“I was constantly wanting to leave and then daring myself to take one more hour and another hour. And oh my God, it was crazy and beautiful, because, after the 10 days, it wasn’t talking that I missed,” Nyong’o explained.
“The heart of the program is about unclutching from attachments to pleasure and aversion, the idea that we attach to things that we love and to things we dislike. And our identities are built on assembling these things to basically write the stories of our lives, but learning to unclutch from that control makes it easier to live, to exist.”
On the journey home Nyong’o says her senses were on high-alert. She was able to really listen to the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s album, advice she’d received from a friend.
“Usually I listen to music and it’s backdrop,” Nyong’o said.”But after that retreat, I was able to focus solely on that and for it to fill my existence in that moment.”
It’s only a matter of time before Nyong’o embarks on another silent, extended stay. Her new film, “Us,” written by “Get Out” director Jordan Peele, is already creating “Black Panther”-style buzz.
Do you think you could survive a silent retreat?
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