Ryan Reynolds Pens Heartfelt Message About His “Lifelong” Struggle With Anxiety

The 44-year-old Green Lantern actor, Ryan Reynolds, opened up about his struggle with anxiety in honor of mental health awareness month. He wants to reach out with his message and connect with people, who like him, have lived, or even still live, with anxiety.

Ryan Reynolds Encourages People To Speak Up About Their Mental Health Struggles In Powerful Message

“May is almost over. It’s also Mental Health Awareness month. Which brings me to this,” Reynolds shared on his Instagram page on Wednesday, May 26. “One of the reasons I’m posting this so late is I overschedule myself and important things slip. And one of the reasons I overschedule myself is my lifelong pal, anxiety. 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 post, better late than never, I hope…”

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Reynolds Believes That His Father’s Death Contributed To His Constant State Of Anxiety

Previously, Ryan has spoken up about his struggle with anxiety, crediting his father’s death as one of the contributing factors.

“I have three older brothers. Our father was tough. He wasn’t easy on anyone. And he wasn’t easy on himself,” he said of his father, who passed away in 2015 after battling with Parkinson’s disease, to Variety in 2017. “I think the anxiety might have started there, trying to find ways to control others by trying to control myself. At the time, I never recognized that. I was just a twitchy kid.”

“My dad was a tough guy. He was good in many ways as well, but he was tough on us. This is not meant to be some sob story—everyone carries their own bag of rocks around,” he added during a 2018 interview with fashion outlet MR. PORTER. “And I am no different in that regard—but growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways.”

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The star also continued, acknowledging that anxiety is something everyone should endeavor to manage: “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but anxiety is also a great fuel. I mean, my God, it’s the anti-complacency pill, but it’s also something that you need to manage.”

In 2018, Ryan told The New York Times that he has always struggled with anxiety in its different levels and kinds. “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.”

His secret to letting it all go, even if it’s a quick fix, is to really channel the character he’s playing. “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 said of playing his Deadpool character.