Valerie Bertinelli, 64, announces 'mental health break' after promoting new cookbook: 'The last six or so weeks have been…a lot'

It's been a whirlwind campaign for Valerie Bertinelli since she kicked off the promotional push for her new cookbook, Indulge: Delicious And Decadent Dishes To Enjoy And Share last November.

Now, some six weeks after it was officially released, the former One Day At A Time alum, 64, announced she's in need of social media break.

'The last six or so weeks have been…a LOT,' Bertinelli admitted on Instagram this week. 'And while I am incredibly grateful for all your support for my book and everyone I've had the good fortune to meet, this here introvert in extrovert's clothing is in need of a mental health break.'

She continued: 'I know, I know, this isn't an airport, I don't need to announce my departure. I just know how some of you worry about me if I don't post often enough.'

Putting her 1.6million followers at ease, Valerie added that 'taking a little social media cleanse/detox and a mental health break is a good thing.'

Valerie Bertinelli, 64, took to Instagram to announce she's taking a 'mental health break' following the promotion for her new cookbook; seen in March

Bertinelli maintains her insight into making the decision to take a time out is a sign of a healthy mind and disposition.

'I'm grateful I'm at a place in my life where I'm aware enough to know when I'm overwhelmed and mentally/emotionally exhausted,' she shared, before wrapping up her announcement.

'Y'all take care of yourselves. I'll be back before you know it,' the ex-wife of late rock legend Eddie Van Halen concluded in the social media message.

The actress revealed that she wrote 'Indulge in this last year or so of healing, while looking for and finding my true self,' in an Instagram post on February 24 soon after she got her first hardback copy.

Indulge includes a collection of 100 recipes to help nourish the body and the soul, as well as personal essays from Bertinelli.

'Yes, it's a cookbook, but it's so much more,' she said in the video. 'I have essays in here about finding my joy — maybe I can help you find your joy — being intentional about it, and there's some really great recipes in here, too.'

She added, 'I hope some of my essays will help you also find your joy, your purpose, and dare I say, help you ‘indulge’ in the life you deserve.

'With this cookbook, Valerie shares her secrets for indulging in the kitchen so her fans can start living their best, most fulfilling lives too,' a synopsis on Goodreads begins.

'Whether it's splurging on some fresh produce at the farmer’s market, cooking an extravagant steak dinner for one, or serving up an ice cream sundae bar at a dinner party, this book is a reminder that indulging can take many shapes and forms.

The One Day At A Time star said that taking a 'social media cleanse/detox and a mental health break os a good thing'

'Yes, it's a cookbook, but it's so much more,' Bertinelli shared in a recent promotional video. 'I have essays in here about finding my joy — maybe I can help you find your joy — being intentional about it, and there's some really great recipes in here, too'

While Bertinelli kicked off her book tour at Long Island LitFest on April 2 and it went through until May 17 in Nashville, she has been also doing other promotions for Indulge, such as social media posts and interviews, since announcing the cookbook late last year; she is picture on The Drew Barrymore Show

Written in her familiar honest style, Bertinelli hopes readers will turn to Indulge over and over again when they are in need of a tasty and healthy recipe, or some life inspiration.

Bertinelli has been acting since the age of 12, appearing in more than two dozen made-for-TV movies and shows, most notably One Day At A Time and Touched By An Angel, she has also released a number of bestselling books.

She is the author of Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time (2008), and the follow-up Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening The Fridge (2009), as well as One Dish At A Time (2012) and Valerie's Home Cooking (2015).

In her most recent book before Indulge the Wilmington, Delaware native reflects on her life at 60 and beyond in Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today (2022), which was a New York Times bestseller.

Bertinelli is also Emmy Award-winning Food Network show Valerie's Home Cooking as well as Kids Baking Championship

While Bertinelli kicked off her book tour at Long Island LitFest on April 2 and it went through until May 17 in Nashville, she has also been doing other promotions for Indulge, such as social media posts and interviews, since announcing the cookbook late last year.