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Meg Donnelly Shares Her Favorite Comfort Food for When She’s Feeling Stressed

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In SELF’s franchise, The Meal I Eat When I’m Feeling…, we talk with chefs, celebs, athletes, and people in the culinary space about the specific foods or meals they turn to amid certain emotions—and how eating their favorites play a vital role in their self-care.

It’s been a busy year for 22-year-old actor Meg Donnelly: Within the span of a few months, she had one project hit streaming services (Zombies 3), one wrap up shooting (season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), and another one begin filming (The Winchesters).

“They’ve all kind of been intertwined,” Donnelly tells SELF while on a break from filming The Winchesters. “It’s been really great.”

Great, but also a little hectic. In order to film The Winchesters, New York City-born Donnelly, who is now based in LA, traveled to New Orleans, where she’ll be until December. The experience of filming the prequel to the long-running Supernatural series has been “incredible,” she says, but it’s also one that’s left her feeling homesick at times.

So when stress level starts to rise, it’s not really a surprise that she turns to something that reminds her of home: Lox and cream cheese.

“It definitely reminds me of home because I had it a lot growing up from the local delis,” she says. “It’s very, very comforting.”

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Donnelly says the meal helps her unwind and relax, allowing her to take some time for herself and recharge mentally. Over the past few years, she’s discovered the importance of setting aside this time and focusing on her mental health—as well as being transparent about when she’s struggling with it. In fact, she’s partnered with nonprofit organizations like the Children’s Health Fund and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to share her own experiences of anxiety as a teen.

“It’s hard for me even still to open up to my friends about the stuff I’m going through because I try to suppress it,” she says. “I know how lonely it was when I was a kid, and I just want to make [other kids] feel seen and heard. It gets better, 100%.”

SELF sat down with Donnelly to chat about how her favorite comfort-food serves as a form of self-care, how it recharges her, and how you can recreate this breakfast staple.

1. Don’t be afraid to tweak the OG.

Lox and cream cheese is traditionally served on a bagel—and that’s how Donnelly grew up eating it—but recently, she’s pivoted to a different vehicle for the toppings that she likes even better: a toasted croissant.

“It’s really hard to find a good bagel in New Orleans or even LA—the bagels on the East Coast are just unreal,” she says.

Plus, switching to a croissant also adds another layer of savoriness to kick up the comfort factor.

“Croissants are just more…there’s this flakiness, the butteriness, it just tastes so good,” Donnelly says. “I’ll slice it in half and put it in the toaster so it gets really hot and even a little bit burnt.”

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Source: Self

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