Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade "Lead by Example" in Teaching Their Kids About Self-Care

As an actor and an athlete, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade lead incredibly busy lives — not to mention their vigorous entrepreneurial efforts and activism. The couple's exhaustive dedication and determination are surely why you can find them at the top of some esteemed lists, like Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. But amid all action and accolades, they still find time to prioritize self-care for their marriage and for their kids.

Gabrielle told POPSUGAR she and Dwyane are "really huge proponents of therapy" and would lean on counseling before the pandemic to vent and take care of each other. But amid the pandemic? "We get creative."

"Those venting sessions might happen on a hiking trail or it might happen as we're hunkered down in our bathroom," Gabrielle shared. In that vein, she partnered with Tropicana to help parents prioritize taking a "mimoment" for themselves with a secret mini fridge for some R&R. "We're all just hiding out in our bathrooms just trying to figure out ways of getting a little bit of peace in the middle of chaos," she said.

If she and Dwyane aren't toasting in fluted glasses to decompress, they're listening to guided meditations and positive affirmations. "We've literally been searching for solutions and new ideas of different kinds of ways to practice self-care," she explained. "Some more successful than others."

Gabrielle and Dwyane's self-care quest doesn't stop in their marriage either. As a mom to Kaavia James and stepmom to Zaire, Xavier, and Zaya, Gabrielle feels "very lucky" that her kids are learning the importance of self-care at home and at school. Her kids learn and practice yoga and meditation from a young age. "I'm lucky that the lessons that we're teaching them and showing them in our house are reaffirmed in school," she said. "It's just been a part of the curriculum in our household and in their schools since they started school."

At home, the parents set self-care standards their kids can understand. "It's really leading by example. When they see us, this is Mommy's quiet time. Mommy needs a minute to think and regroup. Usually, that's in Mommy's bathroom. Everyone respects it because we all need a minute."