After taking some much-needed time for himself, Jared Padalecki is back and feeling better than ever.

The actor joined his fellow former Stars Hollow residents for the long-awaited "Gilmore Girls" reunion at the ATX Television Festival this past weekend, and he was all smiles.

Padalecki scared "Supernatural" fans last month when he suddenly canceled appearances at fan conventions and tweeted, "I need all the love I can get right now." But the 32-year-old just needed to recharge after a long season away from his family.

MTV News caught up with Padalecki ahead of the big "Gilmore Girls" reunion, and he had some important advice for others who might also be feeling stretched too thin.

"Try and remember to shift gears," he said. "That's one of things I had to learn. It doesn't mean that you have to live the simple life, but the life lived with just your friends and family is a great life."

"Don't get caught up trying to think you're supposed to do more, or to think you're supposed to please everybody," he added. "Take care of yourself."

Earlier this year, Padalecki launched his "Always Keep Fighting" t-shirt campaign through Represent.com to benefit nonprofit organization To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), which supports people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. It's a passion project for the actor, who's been open about his own clinical depression.

"One of the things I learned from unplugging is that if you're not 100 percent, you can't give 100 percent," Padalecki said. "So take the time to make sure you're 100 percent."

Nicely said, Jared. We couldn't agree more.