Drew Barrymore and Tracee Ellis Ross Get Raw About Aging: ‘This Is Like Therapy’
Drew Barrymore and Tracee Ellis Ross had a candid conversation about aging on The Drew Barrymore Show.
The pair discussed how their relationship to self has changed and improved with age, and how they cope when challenges arise.
Ross turned 50 in October and Barrymore will turn 48 in February.
Aging is often seen as a closing window of opportunity, but Tracee Ellis Ross and Drew Barrymore see it as an opening one—one that invites them to get to know themselves better with each day. Theoretically, the more time you spend with, well, you, the easier and more comfortable life should be, right? Of course, there are nuances to be had there, but Ross and Barrymore’s recent conversation about aging on The Drew Barrymore Show explored just how enlightening getting older can be.
We all have weaknesses, and we’re all vulnerable to thought patterns like anxiety, insecurity, and stress. Age—and a conscious effort—allows us to unlearn those, or at least recognize them for what they are and learn how to live with them.
“I’m gonna be 48 this year. I’m excited to get to any form of liberation, as far as not overthinking and worrying and over-stressing. I do that a lot,” Barrymore explained.
Ross, who turned 50 in October, responded candidly. “I don’t know if those things will ever go away for me, but my relationship to them has changed ... because I feel like my wiring is my wiring is my wiring. And that’s OK, but now I have enough of a relationship with myself to go, ‘Oh, you’re doing it again,’” she said, to which Barrymore replied: “That is perfect. That’s enough.”
She went on to ask Ross how she mitigates said internalized stressors in the moment. “Many, many things. I have lots of tools, a tool box,” Ross began. “Call the right people. Therapy. You know, they say that your first thought, you can’t help, but your second one, you can.”
Ross continued: “I know to pause—H.A.L.T: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. My favorite, is the big one for me, is Justify, Argue, Defend, Explain: J.A.D.E. That’s what starts to change at this age ... I [would always] get stuck in justifying, arguing, defending, and explaining myself so much.”
Barrymore was taken aback. “OK, that’s the one I’m the most stuck in,” she said. “God, this is like therapy! I turn to therapy a lot. I also turn to my girlfriends a lot.”
Earlier in the conversation, Barrymore praised Ross’ recent bikini selfie. “Your body is so beautiful,” she mused. Ross thanked her, and said aging has boosted her confidence to post such pictures.
“My feeling is, especially having turned 50, I’m like, ‘Document it. Let me see it,’” she said. “Especially because a friend of mine said to me, ‘Your body now, in 10 years, you’re gonna wish you had. And that’s what you’re gonna keep doing.”
Overall, fans were inspired and uplifted by the interview. “I needed this!!” one person commented on YouTube. “This is such a beautiful and precious interview, love it!” another added. “Thank you for this authentic conversation,” someone else wrote.
Words of wisdom to live by: Wear the bikini, take the picture, and for when challenges arise, have a fully stocked toolbox at the ready.
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