Anxiety is a normal, if unpleasant, part of life, and it can affect us all at different times and in different ways. It can persist whether or not the cause is clear to the sufferer.
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. It’s natural to worry during stressful times, but some people feel anxious day after day, even with little to worry about. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily life.
For people with an anxiety disorder, feelings like stress, panic and worry are longer-lasting, more extreme and far harder to control. Symptoms may also include feeling restless or agitated, panic attacks, having trouble concentrating or sleeping, sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness and heart palpitations, MQ Mental Health, 2019.
Let’s take a look at some female celebrities who have told of their anxiety and/or panic attacks:
- Oprah Winfrey said in a 2013 interview that anxiety nearly caused her to have a nervous breakdown.
- Kourtney Kardashian wrote on her blog “When my anxiety is extreme, it feels like my body is constantly burning calories all day long,”
- Lady Gaga says “I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life; I still suffer with it every single day.”
- Ariana Grande said that following the bombing at her Manchester Arena concert in May 2017, she experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Whoopi Goldberg is afraid of flying and this condition is a form of anxiety known as a phobia, a fear of a particular object or situation.
- Adele suffers from anxiety attacks
It may be especially hard for men to disclose mental health problems, as boys are more often taught from young to be strong, not to be a cry-baby and not to talk about feelings. However, as of late, lots of male celebrities have expressed problems with anxiety and what’s great is they’re using their own platforms to bring awareness to mental health issues and encourage other men to get help:
- Prince Harry has shared how panic attacks plagued him after his mother’s death.
- Michael Phelps said that throughout his career, he struggled with depression and anxiety at various times.
- Zayn Malik of One Direction said he cancelled one of his concerts due to extreme anxiety.
- Leonardo Dicaprio says that his anxiety stems from the small things, things that really shouldn’t make you anxious.
- Hugh Grant said “absurd stage fright attacks” would hit him in the middle of filming without warning. The episodes began while he was filming Notting Hill in 1999, after which, he took a five-year break from acting.
- Ryan Reynolds said he spent many nights earlier in his career awake paralyzed by anxiety.
The above are just some of the celebs who suffer from anxiety, there’s lots more who experience different mental health disorders.
When celebrities and people in the public eye open up about their anxiety and disclose their mental health issues, it can help break down some of the barriers surrounding mental health and reduce the stigma. According to Psychology Today, “High profile people who disclose their experiences with mental illness bring a positive light to health and wellness.”
However, Each Mind Matters said that according to research, sharing your own story may have a larger impact on the attitudes of the people in your daily life than a celebrity’s public disclosure.
What helps you when you’ve experienced anxiety? Do you have any tips you could share?
Excellent post… Not that I’m pleased that famous people suffer from mental illness, but it proves that no one is exempt from having it. This list actually didn’t surprise me for some odd reason.
Thank you for sharing.
Lol, I get it. You’re right, mental illness knows no boundaries. Thank you for commenting 🙂
I hate the Oprah! Horrible person! Great blog post!
Not so fond of either lol. Thanks for commenting.
This article is particularly useful because probably reasons for anxiety might include financial worries, although these people are presumably financially secure. So it highlights the notion that *anything* can be a cause, there is no set formula. I think that’s important because we do like to compartmentalise things (I would say, propagated by the media who want a 5-second sound byte), and often real life is invariably more complicated than that.
That’s true. Anxiety, in its many forms, happens for reasons unknown sometimes. And it doesn’t matter where it comes from, I think it’s best dealt with as soon as possible – like try to stop it before it gets worse i.e. agoraphobia.
The more people are open about experiences like this the better.
I think so too 🙂
Great post. It does help to know that a lot of other people go through it and if they can get through it and succeed then so can the rest of us. 😵
Domestic violence is not okay. I would never put up with that now! The woman he was cheating with, who he’s now married to, can keep him. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for commenting JoAnn. Caz x
This is an amazing post. It highlights anxiety and we should take that seriously. A lot of people dismiss anxiety as excuse.
Thank you Kally 🙂 It’s really dreadful to love with – but there is help out there.
Live with, even lol.
Anxiety is HARD! I find that everyone I talk to has little things that seem to help them and everyone is different. I suffered for a long time not even knowing what it was that I dealing with. These days are still hard but if I can recognize the trigger or if I can feel the anxiety building soon enough it can help curb an attack. I pay attention to my breathing, nice a calm and steady and just try to tell myself something that’s relevant in that moment. Example: Going into a new place by myself. I like to find out ahead of time where it is and where the door is. I can start to panic if I don’t know where the door is and that’s before I even get inside! Then I just walk myself trough it. I’m going to go in that door right there, the desk is the second door on the right. I take a mental note of where I’m parked so I can get back without any problem and I repeat to myself that I’m ok, nothing is going to happen, I know where I am, I know where I’m going and I’m safe.
I agree totally Angie, anxiety is flippin’ hard. It’s great that you know know what you’re dealing with and have coping strategies in place. It definitely helps, the sooner you catch it in the begining! I used to do the exact same thing, talk myself through everything in the moment. I still do – when needed now. Caz x
It’s a great feeling when you realize that you can be in control of it…for the most part 🙂
Great post! I think it’s really helpful when celebrities talk about their experiences with anxiety and I think it’s super important that the rest of us who suffer from anxiety talk about it as well because that’s the best way to get rid of the stigma surrounding anxiety and mental health disorders in general. One of the things that has helped me with my anxiety is learning to breathe properly through yoga and meditation. It takes a while to work but you can really notice the change after a few weeks.
Thank you Pooja, glad you like it. Learning the breathing techniques has also helped me during times of anxiety. Even yesterday, out of nowhere (it felt like that), I was on the brink of a panic attack – the first time in years – and managed to breathe my way out of it — thankfully.
I’m glad it’s helped you! Breathing correctly makes ahuge difference.
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
GEE—THEY ARE LIKE US!
They are too 🙂 Thank you for the reblog, much appreciated.
Love it when the high and mighty are human like the rest of us—-not that suffering is to be wished on ANYONE! 😀
Great material. The more we can discuss this topic, the more we are all empowered to control it! 🙂 I know a couple of NHL player that have beaten this issue over the years.
Thank you Nick. Anxiety and mental health don’t discriminate do they? They just grab at you and hold you down — until you get some support.