Anxiety is a serious disorder that affects thousands of people.
Some experience it occasionally, and others suffer from it chronically. A lot of people are embarrassed by their anxiety problems and don’t talk about them. That means a lot of people go undiagnosed and untreated.
When celebrities speak up about their own issues, they sometimes motivate other to do the same.
Knowing what expectations they are held to, it makes it easier for “regular” people to talk about their problems once they see celebrities doing it without any negative deprecations.
Actor Ryan Reynolds recently spoke up about his own struggle with anxiety. Most people see him as a comedian and actor and can’t imagine that he would be the type of guy to suffer from this type of disease. That’s why he felt it was so important to share his story. He said:
“I have anxiety. I’ve always had anxiety. Both in the lighthearted, ‘I’m anxious about this,’ kind of thing. I’ve been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun.”
Some people aren’t sure why they suffer from anxiety.
Reynolds believes that his goes back to his childhood and the way he was raised. He talked about his father, saying:
“He wasn’t easy on anyone. And he wasn’t easy on himself. I think the anxiety might have started there, trying to find ways to control others by trying to control myself. At the time, I never recognized that. I was just a twitchy kid. This is not meant to be some sob story — everyone carries their own bag of rocks around and I am no different in that regard — but growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways. My brothers and I are all very, very close and we all share a bit of that type of humor together. I’ll look for the joke in things so that I don’t look for the sadness and the grief.”
He also shared that while he handles it well at times, he sometimes gets depressed as a result of it.
He added:
“I tend to get pretty depressed and I have some issues with anxiety and things like that.”
He said that he fights his anxiety and depression with exercise and that it helps his expel his demons and feel better. At one point in his life, he was dealing with it in a different way. He shared:
“I was partying and just trying to make myself vanish in some way.”
He says that sometimes he still gets bad anxiety before he goes on stage or starts to film.
He has learned how to hide it and focus on the work instead. He added:
“When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set. That’s that great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you’re going to jump off a cliff, you might as well fly.”
Although Reynolds seems to be handling his anxiety well, there are still times when he struggles with it.
He knows that others are dealing with many of the same issues, and he hopes that his story will help motivate them to get the help they need and not be ashamed to admit that they are suffering. He said:
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but anxiety is also a great fuel. I mean, my God, it’s the anti-complacency pill, but it’s also something that you need to manage.”
Anxiety can be treated and managed in a variety of ways.
If you are suffering from anxiety and are ready to get the help you need, talk to a doctor. The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can take your life back and feel better. Don’t let anxiety control your life. Take a lesson from Ryan Reynolds and deal with it.
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