The Positive Impact of Healthy Relationships Amid Health Struggles
- Comedian Dax Shepard has opened up about his love and lasting commitment to his loving wife and mom to their two daughters, Kristen Bell. He is calling their relationship “enormously successful relationship.”
- Shepard and Bell began dating in 2007, wed in 2013, and are now parents to their beloved daughters, 12-year-old Lincoln and 10-year-old Delta.
- Facing any sort of health battle or traumatic experience, like addiction, the death of a loved one, or a cancer diagnosis, can be extremely overwhelming, so having a good relationship with a partner can be immensely helpful. According to MacMillan Cancer Support, communication is key.
- One of our experts also says surrounding yourself with people, potentially including a partner, who can support you throughout adversity is crucial. Especially since loneliness can impact a person’s recovery.
Shepard, who recently marked 21 years sober—a milestone that his wife Bell, takes great pride in—shared how happy he was with his 11-year marriage during a recent talk with his podcast co-host Monica Padman and “Clueless” star Alicia Silverstone, 48.
Read MoreThe famous couple began dating in 2007, wed in 2013, and are now parents to their beloved daughters, 12-year-old Lincoln and 10-year-old Delta.
Shepard, who chose to offer some insight into his relationship when Silverstone mentioned how she was with her ex-husband for 20 years, added, “I would be dishonoring it [his relationship with Bell] by not considering it successful.”
Although Shepard and Bell’s relationship is seemingly perfect, they previously admitted it didn’t come easy.
In a 2012 interview with Playboy, Shepard recounted how they had very different upbringings, and he feared his past would affect their future.
He said, “Kristen’s a good girl. She grew up very Christian, went straight to college, did great in school and started work immediately. She’s charitable and philanthropic and rescues dogs.
“All the things I’d done were terrifying to her, and she had a hard time believing I would ever be able to stay married and monogamous and a father and all those things. For the first year and a half we were together that was what we battled over almost weekly.”
Meanwhile, in a more recent interview with E! News, Bell admitted it was he4r and Shepard’s contrasts that made them a better couple.
Bell told E! News in 2024, “I married my polar opposite. We are the antithesis of each other. We argue about absolutely everything, but there is a foundational trust that we’ve built that keeps us together and is quite stimulated by one another’s opinions.”
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We’re delighted to hear that Shepard and Bell have been doing well throughout the years and constantly supporting each other.
A few years a back, Bell shared an inspirational quote, tagging the author Yung Pueblo and sharing the meditator, writer, and speaker’s words, “A healthy relationship is when two people equally take turns being the one who steps up when the other is going through a turbulent moment, each is capable of listening and holding space, each is self-aware enough to check in with themselves and not project onto the other.”
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In Silverstone’s case, she was married to musician Christopher Jarecki for 13 years, and they share a son together.
Silverstone, who started dating Jarecki in 1997, married him in 2005, and divorced him in 2018, admitted that although she is no longer married to him, she insisted she would “always love him” and they remain wonderful co-parents .
“I’m sure we’re both still attracted to each other. We love each other. And that was my partner for 20-something years.”
Kristen Bell’s Journey With Mental Health
Speaking with PEOPLE magazine in an earlier interview, Bell said that it’s important for her to share her mental health journey and challenges.
“The thing that is of the highest priority to me is sharing my personal journey. Because it provides a little bit of authenticity to who I am,” she said.
“Prior to sharing what my struggles were with anxiety and depression, I recognized that my picture publicly was this sort of bubbly actress that probably didn’t have any dark days.”
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Bell credited her husband with helping her come forward with her struggles. Shepard publicly battled drug and alcohol addiction and has been transparent about his sobriety journey.
The actress told People how she was initially scared at the thought of sharing her vulnerable moments, like a mental health struggle. She says she was worried about being judged for it.
Remember, there is no shame when it comes to health struggles, and we love it when public figures like Bell amplify this with their message and conquering the stigma in the process.
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Bell, who has used many tools to care for her mental health, including therapy, meditation, and medication, added, “”People need to know there is comfort and resources around them in all shapes and sizes.”
She recounted, “My mom said to me in my early 20s, ‘Don’t ever feel shame in taking an antidepressant because would you ever shame someone who has diabetes for taking their insulin? No, your body needs it.'”
SN & You Presents Mental Health Coping With Emotions
Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health isn’t always easy, but it should always be a priority. One place to start is simply being aware of how you’re feeling and reflecting on any changes you’ve noticed in your emotions or behaviors.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, you should see a professional if you are experiencing severe or distressing symptoms that have lasted two weeks or more, such as:
- Trouble sleeping
- Changes in appetite
- Struggling to leave bed in the morning because of your mood
- Trouble concentrating
- Loss of interest in things you normally enjoy
- Inability to perform normal daily functions and responsibilities
It’s important to try to get help before your symptoms of a mental health issue become overwhelming. Talk with your primary care doctor about any concerns you’re having, so they can refer you to a mental health professional if needed.
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Therapy can also be a way of taking care of your mental health. But know you might need to shop around for the right therapist. Ovarian cancer survivor Ni Guttenfelder says finding the right counselor allowed her to work through the complex emotions of her cancer battle.
“One of the things that my counselor has taught me from the very beginning that has helped me is the concept of acceptance,” she said. “Acceptance is a process. It’s like downloading a computer file in increments. Visualizing it in that way has really helped me.”
Meditation and practicing mindfulness can also be great tools in mental health care. Dr. Deepak Chopra, acclaimed author and pioneer of mindfulness movement, previously spoke with SurvivorNet about mindfulness. He says asking yourself who you are is the first step on the path to practicing mindfulness.
“If we can combine our actions in the world with reflective self inquiry, love and compassion, and a state of secure, stable, ornamental, peaceful being without the addictions that humans have, then we can begin our journey of healing,” Dr. Chopra explained.
In addition, medications can also help people with a mental health illness. They are not necessary for everyone, but medications can make a difference. And there should be no shame attached to taking them.
That being said, it can be tricky to find the right one and your needs may change over time. Dr. Plutchik says genetic testing through Genomind can help. It gives a profile of how a person is likely to respond to different types of psychiatric medications.
MORE: How Can Genetic Testing Help Determine the Right Form of Mental Health Treatment?
“Doing the genetic testing has absolutely transformed the landscape of psycho-pharmacology,” Dr. Plutchik told SurvivorNet. “It’s something that I highly recommend for anybody that is taking medication, whether they are being treated for cancer, or not.
“I recommend it for children who are taking medication. I recommend it for elderly people. Anybody who is taking medication, I think, can greatly benefit from genetic testing.”
Communication Is Key Through Adversity
Facing any sort of health battle, like cancer, or traumatic experience can be extremely overwhelming. So having a good relationship with a partner can be immensely helpful.
According to MacMillan Cancer Support, communication is key.
“Try to be yourself and live as normally as possible. Behaving differently may make your partner feel more aware of the cancer,” the organization explains. “It can help to ask your partner what support they would like and find useful. This makes sure you help where it is most wanted and needed. It can also help you avoid misunderstandings.”
RELATED: Sex and Cancer: How to Communicate Your Desires & Fears and Create New Sexual Experiences
That being said, the person struggling with their health needs to know their limits on what they can handle as they prioritize their recovery.
“Going through [cancer] treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience,” licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin wrote in a column for SurvivorNet. “Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much, is extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
Still, Dr. Strongin says studies show that loneliness can impact a person’s recovery. That’s why surrounding yourself with people, potentially including a partner, who can support you throughout treatment is crucial.
Actress Jill Kargman previously talked with SurvivorNet about how cancer helped her realize her husband was the one during her melanoma journey.
Jill Kargman on Relationships and Cancer
“I think cancer is a great way to find out if you’re with the love of your life or a shithead,” she said. “I think it presses the fast forward button on getting to the bottom of that answer, because a lot of people in middle age are kind of at a crossroads, waiting for their kids to fly the coop.
“I think if you’re with someone who is not supportive and kind of emotionally checked out or doesn’t tell you you’re still beautiful with that, this might not be your person.”
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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
