Jennifer Lopez Changed Her Life After Exhaustion-Induced Panic Attack: ‘I Thought I Was Invincible’

Jennifer Lopez wrote in her newsletter that her wellness philosophy has become “about pro-living versus anti-aging”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 08: Jennifer Lopez attends the Tribeca Festival Opening Night & World Premiere of Netflix’s Halftime on June 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Jennifer Lopez is getting real about the pitfalls of being a queen of the industry.

The Grammy Award nominee, 52, recalled “feeling physically paralyzed” during severe panic attacks she experienced in her late 20s, which were brought on by exhaustion. She advocated for the importance of sleep in the latest edition of her On the JLo newsletter.

“There was a time in my life where I used to sleep 3 to 5 hours a night. I’d be on set all day and in the studio all night and doing junkets and filming videos on the weekends,” she wrote. “I was in my late 20s and I thought I was invincible.

“Until one day, I was sitting in a trailer, and all the work and the stress it brought with it, coupled with not enough sleep to recuperate mentally, caught up with me.”

Lopez continued that she “went from feeling totally normal to thinking about what I needed to do that day and all of a sudden I felt as if I couldn’t move.”

“I was completely frozen,” Lopez wrote. She said she “couldn’t see clearly” and the physical symptoms “started to scare me and the fear compounded itself.” The performer added: “Now I know it was a classic panic attack brought on by exhaustion, but I had never even heard the term at the time.”

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA: In this image released on May 2, Jennifer Lopez attends Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World will be broadcast on May 8, 2021. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)

Lopez explained to newsletter subscribers that she questioned her sanity until a health professional explained that she needed to take a closer look at her lifestyle. The singer-and-actress took her fans inside the scary experience that led to her transforming the way she looks at her health.

“My security guard on set came in and picked me up and drove me to the doctor. By the time I got there, I could at least speak again and I was so terrified I thought I was losing my mind,” Lopez recounted. “I asked the doctor if I was going crazy. He said, ‘No, you’re not crazy. You need sleep … get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, don’t drink caffeine, and make sure you get your workouts in if you’re going to do this much work.’”

Lopez explained that she “let my own self-care needs go completely” as she prioritized work during a time in her life that yielded the dawn of her lifestyle empire, her debut studio album On the 6 and a budding film career that included her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Selena, as well as her first marriage.

“I realized how serious the consequences could be of ignoring what my body and mind needed to be healthy — and that’s where my journey to wellness began,” she added.

The Hustlers star has since made it a point to live “to live a very healthy and balanced life,” noting that her wellness philosophy has become “about pro-living versus anti-aging.”

In regards to her ageless look, Lopez explained that getting good sleep “accumulates over time”: “Sometimes I wake up and say, ‘Wow! I just lost 10 years off my face!’”

[via]