Flower readings. Oracle cards. A manifestation coach. Sound healing… I spend £4,000 a year on wellness. So which celebrity fads could change your life?

Crystal healing? Check. Breathwork? Can’t sleep without it. Manifestation? It got me a six-figure salary. Back in my 20s and 30s, I devoted entire weekends — and all my spare cash — to facials, fancy mani-pedis and massages.

These days, at 52, all the work goes on the inner me. In fact, I spend £4,000 a year on an army of spiritual experts.

Many will think me mad for embracing the woo-woo world of wellness. But recent figures show the global wellness sector, including what’s called spiritual self-care, is valued at an astonishing £3 trillion. In the UK alone, it’s topping £19.5 billion a year.

So perhaps it’s little wonder that Victoria Beckham recently shared her own love of crystals, regulating her emotional energy by conducting a post-full moon crystal washing session last month. 

Experts say the ritual is the emotional equivalent of doing a ‘factory reset’ on your computer.

Posh is far from alone. Model Kate Moss is a fan of moon-bathing (to absorb lunar energy, naturally) while actress Emma Watson admitted last month that she takes a set of tarot cards everywhere she goes.

Indeed, the number of spiritual trainers — flower healers, personal astrologers, moonologists, crystal advisers, breathwork teachers, card readers, and so on — has exploded.

But why this sudden rush for practices with so little scientific backing? Clinical psychologist Dr Marianne Trent puts it down to heightened anxiety levels caused in the aftermath of the pandemic — and having more time on our hands.

‘Women in their 50s might well be really able to focus on themselves and their own needs for the first time since their 20s,’ she says. ‘This can feel liberating.’

As for me, I was ahead of the curve. I was living and working in Los Angeles as a TV producer in my 30s when I started to search for a deeper meaning to life. 

In Hollywood, there are crystal healers and ‘energy intuitives’ on every street corner. Before long, I was practising yoga at dawn, chiming Tibetan bells and learning how to meditate.

Nay-sayers will call it just another thing for gullible women to spend their hard-earned money on. But I can honestly say these rituals are the secret to staying positive and self-confident in a troubling world.

Even my huntin’, shootin’ husband is a convert. Yes, he laughs at me chanting during yoga. But nowadays, he won’t sleep without lavender oil sprinkled on his pillow and knows if he’s feeling antsy, a full moon is on the way.

In my view, as long as you do your homework — remember, much of this industry is unregulated — I firmly believe all women can find a new kind of peace, too. Here are the (admittedly costly) techniques I swear by . . .

CRYSTAL ADVISER £45 every two months

It’s easy to be dismissive about the power of crystals but they’ve been used since 4BC and in Chinese medicine, too. Clear quartz is still used in timepieces and measuring instruments because the crystal vibrates at such a precise frequency.

In crystal healing, clear quartz is known as the ‘master healer’ and it’s why, rather than candles or room fragrances, I have one in every room. It can absorb, store, enhance and amplify energy in its surroundings.

I first got into crystals in my mid 30s when having a work crisis. I was in the midst of walking away from my television career when I was introduced to a spiritual channeller who had a wealth of knowledge about crystals. 

After listening to my woes, she sent me the most beautiful ‘tiger eye’ stone — said to promote self-confidence and inner strength — which I still have today. 

I always wear a rose quartz when I am about to have a difficult conversation with my husband, because it represents pure unconditional love and promotes harmony in relationships.

At the threshold of my front door is a discreet black tourmaline stone which stops negative energies from entering.

Crystal advisers are in abundance on social media, offering classes in how to use the hundreds of different stones to improve, change or repel your current life situation.

I refer to an expert when I need advice on purchasing the right crystal for someone. Crystals can cost anything from £5 to north of six figures.

BREATHWORK TEACHER £45 every two months

Cynics may question why anyone needs to be taught to breathe. But if you’ve ever had a panic attack or suffered anxiety, you’ll know that being able to focus on, and control, your breathing is key.

During a stressful period of insomnia a few years ago, I was taught a method to control my breathing in bed, which stopped me spiralling off into panic and in the end cured the sleeplessness itself. 

I use the 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhale for four seconds, holding the breath for seven, exhale for eight).

I have lessons every other month because they are so calming. You can learn new techniques, too. 

When I’m out walking, I’m prone to what I call ‘monkey mind’, where I over-analyse things that are unlikely to happen. 

Counting my breaths, and inhaling into my tummy, lungs, back and shoulders for a count of four and out again, allows me to stay in the moment and banish unhelpful thoughts.

ASTROLOGER £60 a month

Each month I talk to an astrologer about my personal birth chart and what to expect in the upcoming weeks.

I liken it to an aerial view of how my life could unfold. Don’t believe it could possibly help?

Recently we took a look back at my chart in the past, from April 2012 onwards, when the planets aligned in a way that indicated my career would be propelled to a new trajectory. 

That was when I wrote the infamous feature about women hating me for being beautiful, which went viral and led to lots of lucrative work.

Thanks to my chart, I’m aware of when this could happen again. The practice has given me a radically new understanding of who I am. 

In the past, I’d roll my eyes at girlfriends who insisted on having the charts of potential boyfriends or work partners done before starting a new relationship. But now I think it’s a brilliant and sensible precaution.

MANIFESTATION COACH £45 a month

The premise of manifestation is if you think it, truly believe it, align your life as though you have already achieved it — then it will happen. 

It is a technique adopted by celebrities such as actor Jim Carrey and Oprah Winfrey and one I’ve been using for decades.

I have tried suggestions in the manifestation bible The Cosmic Ordering Service, endorsed by Noel Edmonds, which means you write down what you want to happen. I truly believe manifesting led to my six-figure salary as a TV executive at the age of 29.

I also used vision boards to manifest my current home in France. I knew before we met the estate agent that we would be living in it because I’d already imagined — seen, inhaled, envisaged, touched — the interior of the house.

I’m working with another manifestation teacher because I want to live by the sea. I’m visiting the area I want to live in, I talk about it constantly with my loved ones, I can taste the tang of sea air, and even visualise the orange trees that will grow in my garden.

My coach ensures I keep my goals in sight and put in place the practical steps to achieve them.

This laser focus on everything, from how to pay for the property to when the move will happen, helps you to work it all through. What makes her different to a life coach is that we also practise visualisation techniques.

ORACLE CARDS £50 every six months

Move over tarot cards; I favour oracle cards. Less scary than tarot (most don’t include the dreaded death card), you ask a question and the oracle cards provide the answer. There are different decks from angel to moonology and nature.

The specialist card reader will sense the best cards to use at any one given time. Angel cards, for example, each refer to one of the archangels including Michael and Metatron (both mentioned in religious texts).

When you need a strong sense of purpose, or are at a crossroads, then the angel cards come out.

Flower, nature and moon cards are very good at underlining feelings and emotions. As one reader said: ‘The cards are like opening a door.’ 

Recently the ‘gecko’ card popped up at the start of a reading. As the reptile sheds its skin, it was a poignant representation of spiritual transformation — and probably why I feel bold enough to ‘out’ myself and write this article.

SOUND HEALING £40 per month

While some scroll social media in the evening or binge-watch TV, I listen to sound bath recordings. Just as sound can harm (think of how prisoners were tortured with non-stop heavy metal music in Guantanamo Bay) it can also heal.

What’s special about a lot of women who offer these self-composed, hour-long sessions featuring gongs, windchimes and singing bowls is that you donate what you can. That way the healing is open to everyone. 

While most of the recordings are live, I usually download them and listen at my convenience.

FLOWER READINGS £45 every three months

You may have heard of rescue remedy droplets containing extracts of flower essences used to help you sleep, but did you know there are 38 distinct flower remedies out there? I regularly refer to an expert for guidance on which will help balance my emotions.

The one I use the most is oak, which is good for stress — a few drops in my glass of water and all is well. Olive is another which is for exhaustion. 

I have a kit containing all the remedies that cost more than £200 — not cheap but rather than indulge in wine o’clock, I sip infused water instead. 

I consult a practitioner because she can usually ‘tune in’ to what I need better than I can.

ASCENSION TEACHER £50 a month

Every morning, at 6am, I stand outside, arms stretched towards the heavens, bare feet grounded down into Mother Earth and say thank you for the sunrise. 

I send healing to those around the universe who need it and sometimes guide it to me, too (I’m human after all).

For the past few years I have started following ‘ascension teachers’ who explain how the seasons, planets and universe itself work.

Just as some people can read the energy in a room, they do the same for the planets. I have followed a variety of teachers, who underline that there’s more to the world than meets the eye. 

As a result of their wisdom, I’ve become kinder, more compassionate — and in tune with my spirituality.

MENOPAUSE COACH £45 a month

Queen of wellness Gwyneth Paltrow previously announced she’s planning on hiring someone to guide her through her menopausal years. 

Well, I found my own menopause coach two years ago. Although I don’t have any of the physical symptoms, she’s helping me with the psychological fallout.

Having tried and failed to become a mother, we talk through the emotions triggered by fertility coming to an end.

At the start there were some visualisation techniques, too, including one where I looked at a picture of a womb and imagined filling it with beautiful flowers. 

My body may not have produced a warm bundle for me to nurture, but I’m still happy and healthy.

TOTAL SPEND PER MONTH: £308.33

TOTAL SPEND PER YEAR: £3,700