Idris Elba reveals therapy journey to find balance and overcome unhealthy work habits

Idris Elba, the acclaimed British actor famous for his roles in Luther and The Wire, recently revealed his ongoing journey to find balance in his life during an episode of the Changes With Annie Macmanus podcast. Elba discussed his experiences with therapy and how he's dealing with what he described as "unhealthy habits" developed from working in the entertainment industry.

"In my therapy, I've been thinking a lot about changing, almost to the point of neuropaths being changed and shifting," Elba explained. "And It's not because I don't like myself or anything like that, it's just that I have some unhealthy habits that I've just really formed and they, you know, I work in an industry that I'm rewarded for those unhealthy habits."

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Elba openly admitted that he's an "absolute workaholic," a trait he acknowledges isn't ideal for a well-rounded life. He recognised that the entertainment industry often glorifies and rewards extreme dedication, which can lead individuals to prioritise their careers over personal well-being.

"Nothing that's too extreme is good. Everything needs balance. But I'm rewarded massively to be a workaholic, to someone that can go, 'Oh, I'm not going to see my family for six months.' I'm in there, grinding and making new family and then leave them. You know, those are pathways that I had to be like, I've got to adjust," Elba said.

Despite his busy schedule, including his music career as a DJ when he's not acting, Elba expressed the challenge of finding activities that allow him to relax without feeling guilty for not working. He acknowledged that even when he's pursuing his hobbies, like music production, it often feels like work.

"I'll open that laptop and be like, 'I don't know what to make today,' and today it will come out like this and one like, and I'm exhilarated by that but I'm also relaxed by it," Elba explained. "I could have worked 10 days on a film, underwater sequences, holding my breath for six minutes, and come back and sit here [in the studio] and [be relaxed], more so than sitting on the sofa watching TV with the family, which is bad, right? And this is the part where I've got to sort of normalise what makes me relaxed. Can't be all work."

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