Anxiety can be tough for everyone, even for those in the spotlight… below are a few quotes from various celebrities on what anxiety feels like for them and how they deal with it.
Kristen bell (actress) – “It's important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realise that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer. I was at New York University, I was paying my bills on time, I had friends and ambition — but for some reason, there was something intangible dragging me down. Luckily, thanks to my mom, I knew that help was out there — and to seek it without shame. I didn't speak publicly about my struggles with mental health for the first 15 years of my career. But now I'm at a point where I don't believe anything should be taboo.”
Selena Gomez (singer) – “Tours are a really lonely place for me, my self-esteem was shot. I was depressed, anxious. I started to have panic attacks right before getting onstage or right after leaving the stage.”
Shawn mendes (singer) – “I spoke to a therapist a couple of times. Therapy is what works for you. Therapy is listening to music and running on the treadmill, therapy is going to dinner with your friends - it's something that distracts you, that helps you heal and so it just depends on what you think therapy is. I made a conscious effort to be more connected to the people in my life. I found I was closing myself off from everybody, thinking that would help me battle it then realizing the only way I was going to battle it was completely opening up and letting people in.”
Jesse Eisenberg (actor) – “It's not the worst thing in the world to have those feelings, "even though it might feel like the worst thing in the world.”
Zoe sugg (volgger) – “I would describe anxiety as a little part of your brain that refuses to let you do particular things with ease because of the way it's programmed. I also like to say that a person with anxiety is like a car on the street whose alarm gets set off by a little leaf that's fallen from a tree, whereas the people who don't experience anxiety are the cars that the only time their alarm goes off is if someone is breaking into it. It can really debilitate and control the way people live their lives.”
Taylor swift (singer) – “It can feel, at times, if you let your anxiety get the better of you like everybody’s waiting for you to really mess up — and then you’ll be done.”
Harry Judd (singer/mcfly) – “Talking and sharing is SO important to destroying the stigma of mental health so that people feel empowered to seek out help and find their own way of dealing with their challenges. For me, exercise is the key to keeping myself feeling balanced, in control and happy”
Adele (singer) – “I'm scared of audiences I have anxiety attacks, constant panicking on stage, my heart feels like it’s going to explode because I never feel like I’m going to deliver, ever. One show in Amsterdam I was so nervous, I escaped out the fire exit. I've thrown up a couple of times. Once in Brussels, I projectile-vomited on someone. I just got to bear it. But I don't like touring. I have anxiety attacks a lot.”
Amanda seyfried (actress) – “I had pretty bad anxiety that came from the OCD and thought I had a tumour in my brain. I had an MRI, and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist. As I get older, the compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps. I still do get terribly nervous, and that’s partly due to the fact I think too much and overanalyse things. I’ll start worrying about my parents or my dog, and I’ll picture him opening the window of my apartment and falling out, even though I can’t get that thing open myself.”
Kourtney kardashian (media personality) – “Everyone deals with hard times in their lives differently. I'm generally not a nervous person but I get anxious. I also get nauseated; I feel like I can't eat when it is really bad, but I force myself to stay healthy. Still, when my anxiety is extreme, it feels like my body is constantly burning calories all day long. On these kind of days, I try to avoid caffeine, alcohol and too much sugar — basically anything that could make it worse. One thing I've found that really helps is working out. Of course, when I'm having an anxious day, my workout is so much harder. But that's when it feels good to power through it”
Demi lovato (singer) – “I’ve actually had anxiety to the point where I’ve felt drugged. I actually ended up having problems with my thyroid because I was so stressed out and so anxious at times in my life. I remember one time I actually went to the hospital because I physically felt like I had been drugged; I was having an anxiety attack. On a day-to-day basis if I get anxiety, I just need to take a couple deep breaths because sometimes I feel like I can’t catch my breath. Sometimes I’ll get very shaky and very scattered. You know restless leg syndrome? It’s like restless body syndrome.”
Miley Cyrus (singer) – “I would have anxiety attacks. I'd get hot flashes, feel like I was about to pass up or throw up. It would happen a lot before shows, and I'd have to cancel.”
Ariana grande (singer) – “When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe, I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I’ve always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before. There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down”.
Zayn malik (singer/one direction) – “I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career … I know those who suffer anxiety will understand and I hope those who don’t can empathize with my situation.”
John green (author) – “I want to talk about it, and not feel any embarrassment or shame, because I think it’s important for people to hear from adults who have good fulfilling lives and manage chronic mental illness as part of those good fulfilling lives.”
Ryan Reynolds (actor) – “I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety, 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. If pure anxiety was an Olympic sport, I'd feel really fucking anxious about all the gold medals I just won like a BOSS.”
Frankie bridge (singer/the Saturdays) – “I felt anxious all the time and I was having panic attacks; I knew there was something wrong.”
Emma stone (actress) – “It has always been something that I’ve lived with and it flares up in big ways at different times in my life. Sometimes while it’s happening, like while I’m in a phase of big turmoil, it feels like it’s never going to end — but it does”
Kesha (singer) - If I’m lucky enough to have a voice someone will listen to, then I should use it for good, for truth. That is why I have recently spoken openly about some of my struggles including my crippling anxiety and beginning recovery for an eating disorder amongst many other things. I know I’m not alone. These are struggles millions of people around the world deal with on a daily basis.
Kendall Jenner (model) – “learning to cope with anxiety isn’t easy, but sometimes opening up about the journey really does help.”