Ryan Reynolds opens up about anxiety, tendency to ‘overthink’: ‘I know I’m not alone’
Ryan Reynolds is opening up about his tendency to overbook himself as a result of his anxiety, admitting that even his post acknowledging Mental Health Awareness Month is delayed.
The Deadpool actor posted a note to his Instagram on Wednesday where he wrote that "May is almost over." Still, he felt it necessary to talk about his own mental health and even how it has impacted his ability to reach out to followers throughout the month.
"One of the reasons I'm posting this so late is I overschedule [sic] myself and important things slip. And one of the reasons I overschedule myself is my lifelong pal, anxiety," the 44-year-old wrote. "I know I'm not alone and more importantly, to all those like me who overschedule, overthink, overwork, over-worry and over-everything, please know you're not alone. We don't talk enough about mental health and don't do enough to destigmatize talking about it. But, as with this point, better late than never, I hope..."
The post received an outpouring of love and support to assure Reynolds that his sentiment will help others, no matter the timing. "Doesn't matter if it's Mental Health Month of some random Tuesday in September," one follower wrote. "We're in this together."
Fellow actor Hugh Jackman also offered his support via a comment. "Mate – your honesty is not only brave but, I'm positive will help countless others who struggle with anxiety too," he wrote. "Good on you!"
In fact, Reynolds has done good by speaking out about his mental health in the past, first opening up about his experience with anxiety in a New York Times interview in May 2018.
"I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety," he told the publication. "Both in the lighthearted ‘I’m anxious about this’ kind of thing, and I’ve been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun."
The actor reflected on the ways in which his anxiety has affected him since he was younger, sharing that he would wake up in the middle of the night "paralyzed" by worry in his 20s. And although he has a number of tools that he uses now to keep it at bay, performing is one of Reynold's biggest outlets.
"When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set," he told NYT. "That’s that great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you’re going to jump off a cliff, you might as well fly."
Read more from Yahoo Life:
Dax Shepard is 'very much an open book' with his kids: 'I tell them I'm an alcoholic'
Hunter Hayes says fame took a toll on his mental health: 'There's a lot of pressure on me'
Mayim Bialik says she's 'struggled with mental illness' her whole life
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