Photo: Dan Jackson for WSJ. Magazine
Ryan Reynoldsis still learning how to best deal with his anxiety.
While speaking withWSJ. Magazinefor its November issue — which hits newsstands on Nov. 13 — the 45-year-old actor said that he tends to overwork himself professionally, as to not allow hismental healthto become an issue.
“I tend to bite off way more than I could or should chew. I think maybe it’s just that Canadian sensibility: ‘Well, I said I was going to, so I have to deliver this,’ " he said. “I will do that at the cost of my own well-being sometimes.”
“I fixate on things,” Reynolds — one ofWSJ. Magazine’s 2021 Innovator Awards honorees — continued. “That’s sort of the engine of anxiety. I lay awake at night, wrapping and unwrapping every possible scenario. I slept at a perfect right angle for so many years.”
“I tend to pave over anxiety with work and, to a lesser extent, achievement. You want to tick boxes sometimes,” theFree Guystar added to the outlet.
Dan Jackson for WSJ. Magazine
Continuing to speak withWSJ. Magazine, the Golden Globe nominee hinted at that decision, telling the publication he is looking to be more “present” within his life.
“These days, my goal is to be as present as I can and not just tick a box just to do it,” he explained. “I’m fully embracing and living that right now. It’s been amazing.”
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Back in June, Reynolds chatted withEntertainment Tonightand said that his three daughters —James, 6,Inez, 5, andBetty, 2 — whom he shares with wifeBlake Lively, inspired him to use his role as a public figure to speak out about mental health.
“Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviors and model what it’s like to be sad and model what it’s like to be anxious, or angry. That there’s space for all these things,” he said. “The home that I grew in, that wasn’t modeled for me really. And that’s not to say that my parents were neglectful, but they come from a different generation.”
“Part of that is todestigmatize things and create a conversation around [mental health],” Reynolds added. “I know that when I felt at the absolute bottom, it’s usually been because I felt like I was alone in something I was feeling. So I think when people talk about it, I don’t necessarily dwell on it or lament on it, but I think it’s important to talk about it. And when you talk about it, it kind of sets other people free.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
