Ryan Reynolds Reveals How He Deals With His 'Darker' Anxiety Struggles

Ryan Reynolds may seem cool, calm, and collective on the outside — but on the inside, he’s perpetually on the verge of throwing up thanks to his debilitating anxiety!
The Deadpool 2 star opened up about his constant exhaustive mental state to The New York Times, admitting he gets hit with crippling dread and nausea before nearly every public appearance.
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He explained:

“I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety. Both in the lighthearted ├óΓé¼╦£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.”

Talking about a “real unhinged phase” he had in his 20s, the star shared:

“I was partying and just trying to make myself vanish in some way.”

It turns out Ryan was self-medicating, but his partying ways became less extreme after friends of his had died of overdoses.
Though his condition is rooted in growing up in a stressful household environment, Reynolds said his anxiety was always heightened by the anticipation of performing — and always cured by making people laugh.
During his ABC sitcom days, the Canadian performer chose to warm up the audience so he could redirect his panic — or, as he put it, “the energy of just wanting to throw up.”
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Even now that he has a movie star name and a movie star wife, the 41-year-old still gets anxious before promotional interviews and talk show appearances.
So, how does he deal? Blake Lively‘s husband says he uses the meditation app Headspace.
But he also knows that sweet relief will come the second he walks onstage and turns on the “knucklehead” we know and love. He added:

“When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set├óΓé¼┬ª That’s that great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you’re going to jump off a cliff, you might as well fly.”

The father-of-two had previously admitted to seeking medical advice after wrapping the first Deadpool movie. He said at the time:

“I had a little bit of a nervous breakdown. I literally had the shakes. I went to go see a doctor because I felt like I was suffering from a neurological problem or something. And every doctor I saw said, ‘You have anxiety.’ … I say this with the caveat that I completely recognize the ridiculously fortunate position that I am in.”

It’s no surprise to hear how Ry-guy channels all that negative energy into hilarious comedy. All great performers do!
[Image via Camille Maren/WENN.]