TV veteran Connie Britton has played a mother on Friday Night Lights, Nashville and White Lotus — and in 2011 she took on the role of a lifetime when she adopted her son, Eyob, from Ethiopia and became a working single mom in real life.

Here are the ways Connie finds her joy in life — words that can help you find yours too!

Have Courage

“My mom passed away before I became a mom, so on Mother’s Day I think about her a lot and the things I wish I could’ve asked her,” says Connie, 58, who married businessman John Britton in 1991 and divorced in 1995. “My mom came from a generation that did for others, and her self-confidence came from that. There’s real courage in taking on something like becoming a mom and knowing you’re bound to mess it up. Inevitably, there will be failure, so leave room for that.”

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

“Laughter is so important to our overall health. If you can access something that brings you genuine delight and joy, even a few moments of that can change your perspective and sense of being. We all need a bit of levity.”

Take A Pause

“I had a great meditation practice for many years, but with a busy work schedule and wrangling my son, I couldn’t keep up with it. So it was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to start letting my whole life become a sort of meditation.’ I really try to approach little moments as meditative moments, where I can be present instead of being so cerebral about it. And when I can, I try to find 20 minutes where I can sit, breathe and just be mindful.”

Find Your Pace

“I’ve kind of let ‘working out’ fall by the wayside. I think, ‘I did enough of that for 40 years,’ but I do love to go for a walk outside in the fresh air. That’s something that feeds me, rather than thinking of exercise as ‘work.’”

Date Nights

“Women all do some version of letting our own needs get pushed to the side because we’re so busy taking care of others, so I love going out to dinner with friends,” says Connie, who’s been dating television producer David Windsor since 2020.

“It benefits me and them! And now that I have a partner, we get at least one night a week together that’s just for us. It feels healthy, energizing, and I try to make that time sacred.”