Actor Ryan Reynolds is a fan favorite because he makes his audiences laugh, warms their hearts with his kind gestures, and is easy on the eyes to boot. Now, Reynolds is sharing more about something that he hasn't publicly dived into until this year — his own mental health struggles.
May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in the USA. This past May, many celebrities spoke up about their personal battles with mental illnesses, or mental health in general.
One such celebrity is Ryan Reynolds. The actor took to Instagram to reveal that he has anxiety, which causes him to "overschedule, overthink, overwork and over-worry."
The post received tremendous support from Reynolds' fans and colleagues, but it also sparked the curiosity of Sean Hayes, a host of the SmartLess podcast.
Hayes brought up the Instagram post while interviewing Reynolds during the most recent episode of his podcast, prompting the actor to openly share his experiences.
In the interview, Reynolds revealed that he sees anxiety as "an engine for creativity," but recognizes that it also has a dark side.
In fact, this topic has been talked about many times in the past. Author Eva Holland mentioned in an article for Psychologies that there is a connection between being a creative thinker and a worrier. She reported often imagining the worst-case scenarios occurring in her daily life, but said she also put that energy to use when writing her first novel.
Numerous scientific studies have also found a link between anxiety and creativity, the underlying common factor being imagination.
Reynolds also revealed that his anxiety may have roots in his childhood. He stated that his father "was never an easy person to be around" and described him as a "skin-covered landmine," explaining that he never knew when his father would react negatively to something, leaving him always guessing what would happen next.
This seems to be the main characteristic of anxiety — anticipation and dread about the future, often times purely in conjecture, especially with children.
Many Twitter users and fans of Reynolds appreciated his openness and honesty about his anxiety. One Twitter user mentioned that it's nice to not feel alone in her battle, and many others shared similar sentiments.
When celebrities, such as Reynolds, open up about their mental health, it often leads to mental health conversations being at the forefront of social media. It also lets others know that they are not alone in their battles and that mental illness does not discriminate across race, gender or class.
