Jada Pinkett Smith’s ‘Red Table Talk’ discusses anxiety amid a pandemic

The Smith's were joined by motivational speaker Jay Shetty and psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula to share tips and tools on how to manage the stress that's been brought on by coronavirus

Cortney Wills

Mar 27, 2020

Red Table Talk is highlighting how many people are suffering from anxiety and just how crippling the current COVID-19 outbreak can be in this week’s episode.

Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow, and Adrienne Banfield Norris were joined by motivational speaker Jay Shetty and psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula to share tips and tools on how to manage the stress and emotional toll that’s been brought on by the pandemic.

“My poor clients, a lot of them are struggling and they’re struggling a lot. It brings up old anxieties,” Durvasula said. “People who are living with anxiety, this is a multiplier.”

Durvasula is still having her online consultations and sessions with her clients amid the outbreak.

“Never before have we in the mental health profession taken on something of this magnitude,” she said. “It’s all hands on deck.”

The ladies opened up about their fears and how they are working to manage the stress the pandemic has prompted in all of us.

In partnership with Facebook Inc., Shetty is leading Mindfulness & Meditation on Facebook Live & Instagram Live for 20 minutes a day at 9:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m., for 20 days, until Wednesday, April 8.

The community will be focused on creating calm, peace and unity at this tough time. Shetty will lead millions daily in finding moments of gratitude, insights to manage stress, wellness practices and habits for reducing anxiety.

“We deal with more challenges in 24 hours today, because of what we are exposed to, than what we were in a whole lifetime 25 years ago,” Shetty said on the show.

“We are just hearing about each and every person’s pain, and that’s a lot of pain to process. We have to become careful with whose pain and how much pain we can take on.”

Jada admitted to co-dependence during the sitdown. This was an area she wanted to work on.

“Now thats my codependency, you know I want to,” she laughed. “This has been a real time for me — I have no choice but to let go, and let God.”

Just last week, the Smith family hosted a special episode on the pandemic, What You Need to Know About Coronavirus. Will Smith about the possibility of spreading misinformation on viruses like this one in I Am Legend.

Will Smith

They were joined via satellite by renowned infectious disease authority, Michael Osterholm, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and Chiara Digiallorenzo, a 25-year-old COVID-19 patient who has been sharing her journey on Instagram, to discuss the Coronavirus pandemic.

Watch the new episode below.