Inspiring Words From Celebrities With Anxiety Disorder

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, around 3.6% of the global population suffer from anxiety disorders. These days, anxiety is so commonplace that you probably know someone or you yourself deal with it on a daily basis. Because of its rising awareness among the masses, even celebrities have become more open about their own experiences with anxiety.

While we may assume that our favorite Hollywood celebrities lead perfect lives, they also go through the same issues as regular people do — they’re still human after all. Here are five celebrities who are known to have anxiety disorder. Be inspired by what they have to say regarding their condition:

Emma Stone

Emma Stone charmed her way into our hearts through her many portrayals in various movies like Zombieland, Crazy, Stupid Love, and Easy A. In fact, this lovely lady won an Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her fabulous acting in La La Land. Amid her success is her battle with frequent panic attacks to which she has been open about. In order to alleviate the frequency of her attacks, she turns to acting. She said, “There’s something about the immediacy of acting. You can’t afford to think about a million other things. You have to think about the task at hand. Acting forces me to sort of be like a Zen master: What is happening right in this moment?” By focusing on the present and what needs to be done, Stone can manage to forget what had been worrying her before.

Ashley Benson

Twenty-nine-year-old Ashley Benson seems to have her life sorted out. She has been part of several movies and TV shows like Bring It On: In It To Win It, Spring Breakers, and most notably, Pretty Little Liars, a teen mystery-drama series. But sometimes, the pressure of appearing perfect all the time can get overwhelming, and Ashley has been vocal about taking anti-anxiety medication in order to deal with her condition while on sets. She has also made lifestyle changes, saying, “I decided I was going to be able to self-medicate through meditation, working out, sleeping, eating healthy and drinking more water.” While these may seem like small, mundane changes, they have a big impact on your health and mental well-being, so don’t take them for granted!

John Green

John Green is mostly known for writing everyone’s favorite teenage love story, The Fault in our Stars. He has also churned out other young adult fiction novels like Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. The success, money, and fame he garnered from his books make us think that he’s definitely living a perfect life, but he has a different story to share, more so about his experience in dealing with anxiety and undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy. “I just have to integrate it into my life, as I would for any chronic illness. That can be difficult during periods… where work stuff is extremely public and extremely intense, but it helps tremendously that this is something I’m choosing to do… So focusing on why I’m doing this is helpful to me…”

LeAnn Rimes

You have most likely heard her songs being played on the radio several times before. Or perhaps even seen her live somewhere during her tours. But, whether you’re a fan or not, LeAnn Rimes is definitely one of the most popular country-pop singers in the industry. Her success is reflected in the numerous awards that she has received throughout her career such as twelve Billboard Music Awards, two Grammys, and one Country Music Award. Behind all that popularity, LeAnn suffers from anxiety and even talked about getting help so she has the knowledge to deal with it by herself. She said, “This is just a time for me to emotionally check out for a second and take care of myself and come back in 30 days as the best… woman I can be.” 

We often put celebrities on a high pedestal and have a glorified idea of the kind of lives they have. But what we often see is curated to appear as if they have everything sorted out. But like everyone else, they are also susceptible to anxiety and other mental health issues. And if you’re someone who goes through the same thing, perhaps their words and the way they cope with their conditions will help improve your life as well.