Ryan Reynolds opens up about his struggle with anxiety

Mental health has been a bigger subject than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, and with this May being Mental Health Awareness, celebrities are speaking out and sharing their struggles.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Ryan Reynolds opened up, writing, "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."

Many have already shared their appreciation with Reynolds in the comments, including his friend Hugh Jackman, who commented, "Mate – your honesty is not only brave but, I’m positive will help countless others who struggle with anxiety too. Good on you!"

While speaking to The New York Times in 2018, Reynolds shared that his anxiety can sometimes be a daily struggle, and other times even has him worried he might die: “I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety. ... 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.”

Reynolds first revealed his experience with anxiety in a 2017 interview with Variety, where he said, "I have three older brothers. Our father was tough. He wasn't easy on anyone. And he wasn't easy on himself. 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."

His disorder was particularly tough to work through while filming 2016's Deadpool, he said, but his wife Blake Lively helped him work through it: "I never, ever slept. Or I was sleeping at a perfect right angle — just sitting straight, constantly working at the same time. ... Blake helped me through that. I'm lucky to have her around just to keep me sane."

Reynolds isn't the only one who has opened up this month or encouraged fans to seek help if they might need it. Earlier this May, Ariana Grande shared mental health resources on her Instagram, captioning the post, "here’s to ending the stigma around mental health and normalizing asking for help. healing isn’t linear, fun, quick or at all easy but we are here and we’ve got to commit to making this time as healthy, peaceful and beautiful as possible. the work is so hard but we are capable and worth it. sending so much love and strength."

Demi Lovato, meanwhile, posted about her partnership with Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness "to ensure that eating disorders are part of the conversation" when it comes to mental health.

Similarly, in a post on May 15th, Emily in Paris's Lily Collins wrote about her past experience with an eating disorder, and how "I’ve been thinking a lot about what an uphill, and oftentimes ongoing, struggle it is to deal with insecurities, emotions, and expectations. I like to remind myself that no matter what it looks like from the outside, you never know what someone is going through – so be kind, be gentle, and never make assumptions."

Rapper Big Sean also opened up in an Instagram video earlier this month, in which he discussed having a positive mindset with his mother, two years after discussing his experience with depression and anxiety in a Billboard interview.

And then, of course, there is Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey, who've made it their mission to help the world open up about their mental health issues, and teamed up to do exactly that through their Apple TV+ series The Me You Can't See, which is well worth your time and also premiered this month.

BEFORE YOU GO: Prince Harry opens up about his mother’s death

[video_embed id='2207249']BEFORE YOU GO: Prince Harry opens up about his mother’s death[/video_embed]