For those with anxiety, it’s no secret that you’ll often experience both good and bad days. There are days when the worries aren’t as loud, and then there’s days that are almost unbearable. On bad days, your anxiety can feel all-consuming, and it can be easy to slip from experiencing full control to feeling like you’re on the verge of dying.
Along with over 2 million Australians, Ryan Reynolds understands this. In an interview with the New York Times last Wednesday, Reynolds talked about what it’s like to find yourself on the “darker end” of the anxiety spectrum.
“I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety,” Mr. Reynolds told the New York times. “Both in the light-hearted ‘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.”
He discussed how he gets wracked with dread and nausea before every talk-show appearance or interview and becomes quite convinced he might die. While most of us don’t know what it’s like to be interviewed on a talk show, those of us with anxiety can probably relate to feeling your anxiety transform from “I kind of got this” into “I’m going to die” territory.
It’s important to hear of experiences such as Reynolds’ because men speaking openly about anxiety, let alone mental illness is rare to see. According to BeyondBlue, anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. On average, one in four people – one in three women and one in five men – will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. Though most anxiety disorders are more prevalent in women, men are known for bottling things up.
Another contributor for SameBoat, Nick Hall, wrote about breaking down the barriers of men’s mental illness to improve their health and wellbeing. He expressed that men often avoid seeking help for their condition/s due to “perceived embarrassment and the stigma attached to admitting you have a problem.” But he reminds his readers that admitting to mental illness does not make anyone less manly.
Ryan Reynolds illustrates this by talking outwardly about his experiences with anxiety and sharing what helps him.
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