Laverne Cox Has Learned to 'Protect My Mental Health' as Legislators Push Anti-Trans Bills

Laverne Cox is doing what she can to "protect [her] mental health" as parts of society try to pretend that transgender people don't exist.

The Inventing Anna actress, 49, said that she's struggled in the last year as several states have created anti-trans bills to restrict their rights.

"I think of the violence against trans people — it has really [messed] me up," Cox told Health for their April cover. "There were anti-trans bills introduced into state legislatures in 2021. Many of them use language like 'biologically male but thinks they're a girl.' They don't actually use the word transgender. It's language that literally erases us as trans people. So, I've really found myself needing to protect my mental health."

It made Cox realize that she needs to be proactive about her self-care.

"I'm responsible for my mental health. I'm responsible for how I respond or don't respond to trauma. I can have compassion for myself and grace for myself," she said. "I think we can simultaneously acknowledge systemic oppression and inequities and also say, 'In the face of this systemic oppression, what is my part in bettering my life? Bettering my mental health?' "

Cox said she learned about resourcing — which is "just really about that thing that makes you feel good in your life."

"It might be a song. It might be the thought of a person. I'll think about my boyfriend cooking breakfast for me and I just light up inside," she explained. "We have to lean into those things that bring us joy. And the things that don't, we need to let them go to protect our mental health."

The Orange is the New Black star also regularly sees a therapist, which helps her work through her trauma and improve her resourcing.

"When you have trauma, eventually it needs to be reprocessed. What I'm working on with my therapist now is building up my resourcing, so that when it's time to reprocess the trauma, it's not re-traumatizing," she said. "You don't want to flood yourself revisiting that trauma because that can keep you from healing — you have to go slowly."

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And on a smaller scale, Cox has also tapped into some sensory cues that help her relax.

"For me, it's about breathing and feeling my feet on the floor. Smell is also really big for me. The smell of lavender or vanilla can really calm me. And I'm very tactile. I have a fuzzy robe that I wear, that I will rub and it just makes me feel good," she said. "Even just rubbing my arms, sort of caressing myself, is a soothing thing that lets my body know it's safe."

As Cox nears her 50th birthday in May, she's found herself in a happy place with a loving boyfriend and a better understanding of herself. That means things like taking a dance class instead of going to the gym.

"When I go to the gym, it becomes goal-oriented and not process-oriented. When I start thinking about the results, it's not a good space for me to be in. I'm better when I focus on the journey," she said.

"In some ways, I feel like I'm in the prime of my life," she said. "I think I look better than I've ever looked, and I've evolved so much. I'm turning 50 with some wisdom. I know some things, which is really nice. Could I know more? Absolutely. But I'm moving through the world with integrity, and that's something I'm proud of."