How this “Queer Eye” star keeps self-care simple and effective

Self-care is hard to define: In essence, it’s about creating a moment or ambiance for yourself (or your community) that is emotionally, physically, or psychologically restorative and nourishing. While your ideal self-care treatment might involve a barre class and avocado toast on Sunday or even unwinding in a mineral-rich lagoon in Iceland, taking an afternoon (or week) off is not always feasible. Encouragingly, a co-host of Netflix’s binge-worthy Queer Eye reboot, Jonathan Van Ness, believes that you don’t need much time or effort to practice self-care.

“If the end-all, be-all of self-care was going to a vacation in Hawaii where there’s no wi-fi, just being off the grid—you can create three minutes of that.” —Jonathan Van Ness

“If the end-all, be-all of self-care was going to a vacation in Hawaii where there’s no wi-fi, just being off the grid—you can create three minutes of that,” the hairdresser who’s rapidly becoming a household name told GQ. He explains that the benefits to glean from self-care are about learning to “give your brain those little opportunities to create whatever endorphin or serotonin it needs to get you through the day.”

Basically, Van Ness wants you to make self-care work with your schedule and lifestyle rather than the other way around. He told GQ that he spends his Wednesdays with his Fab Five co-host Antoni Porowski exercising, shopping, and going to museums (take that, self-care Sunday!). And though his all-day ritual is much more elaborate and time-consuming than the three minutes he believes a self-care routine requires, Van Ness said that the goal should be to make things easier on yourself by doing less to reap your restorative rewards. “I think you don’t have to go to that extreme of redoing your house or redoing your wardrobe,” he said. “How can you get to a destination without spending everything to get there? It’s a moment—just getting that flavor without necessarily having to go so hard.”

So next time you have three free minutes, opt for a quick desk break or a moment of meditation and see just how far that transporting self-care pause can take you.

Upgrade your self-care routine by learning to master the trendy naked nail look or by stocking up on Shay Mitchell–approved coconut oil.