Learn how Zendaya copes with anxiety

At a recent meeting with WalkGood LA founders Etienne and Ivy Coco Maurice, Zendaya opened up about her battles with anxiety and the methods she uses to manage it.

When the Vogue interviewer met the "Challengers” star, she was described as sitting cross-legged and barefoot on a luxurious white rug, her long waves casually gathered into a bun, with no makeup adorning her face.

The setting was described as surreal, particularly when Etienne initiated the meeting by directing everyone to form a circle, stick out their tongues, and let out a deep sigh.

Even Zendaya appeared slightly taken aback. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” she confessed to Vogue afterward.

“But what an icebreaker—I was filled with anxiety before I arrived.”

Diving deeper into her anxiety journey, Zendaya expressed: “I think sometimes people assume that because of what they see of me, maybe I’m a certain way.”

“But when I’m not working, I tend to isolate myself. My therapist, family, and friends will tell me, ‘You need to get up and get out,’ and I never want to—but when I make myself do it, I realize it’s actually kind of nice. I’m less anxious. I have to really be intentional about taking care of myself. I’m learning to be more responsible for myself and for my own body and looking after it all.”

Although she credits walking her dog with preventing her from isolating herself entirely when she's not working, Zendaya acknowledged that maintaining her mental well-being overall is an ongoing journey.

She explained, “Sometimes it’s just getting out of bed, telling myself, ‘We’re facing the day: we're taking a shower, we're putting on real clothes, we're seeing some sunshine.’ I try to set little challenges for myself.”

Ultimately, that’s part of the sentiment she hopes to convey with the work she’ll be doing with On: She said she wants people to know that life isn’t always easy or perfect—no matter who you are or how glamorous your life might seem from the outside—but community and movement can help.

“It can look different for different people, but everybody needs to have people to reach out to and talk to and feel supported by,” she said.

“I think for most people, it’s not always easy to go on a several-mile run every morning; sometimes it’s hard to do even the little things to take care of yourself. It helps to feel like you’re not the only one.”