Ryan Reynolds says becoming a parent changed how he approaches his own mental health.
The 44-year-old actor has become increasingly open about his own mental health and his struggles with anxiety and he credits his three daughters, James, 6, Inez, 4, and Betty, 1, with that shift.
“Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviours 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,” Reynolds explained in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight. “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.”
In May, the actor took to Instagram to share a candid post about mental health.
“May is almost over. It’s also Mental Health Awareness Month, which brings me to this,” he wrote. “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…”
Several of Reynolds’ famous friends showed their support for his post, including Hugh Jackman, with whom he maintains a fake ongoing rivalry.
“Mate – your honesty is not only brave but, I’m positive will help countless others who struggle with anxiety too,” Jackman wrote. “Good on you!”
This article originally appeared on marie claire U.S.
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