Anxiety is something that millions of people suffer from around the world, and it can take many different forms at certain times in our lives. While it can be a debilitating mental disorder that can prevent people from achieving their goals, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds recently opened up about how he managed to harness it and become a better father.
During a Q&A for People’s cover story with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman promoting their upcoming film, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” both A-list actors spoke about the importance of incorporating their mental health into the way they parent their children and how it’s helped transform their roles as parents.
Ryan Reynolds has opened up about how anxiety has helped him become a “better dad.”
“You’ve been pretty open about your anxiety issues, which I really applaud you for.” Jackman told Reynolds during their interview“Do you think being a parent makes things better or worse?”
In response, Reynolds admitted that he is “doing it better.” The 47-year-old actor, who has four children with his wife, Blake Lively, explained that he is able to divert attention to focus less on himself and more on his children.
“I love having anxiety now; I love having had anxiety,” Reynolds continued. “Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a compassionate way, that really allows them to feel understood. I know I can’t just fix it. And I can communicate all of that to them and with them. I’m forever grateful for that.”
Historically, there was a social expectation for men to keep their feelings and emotions to themselves.
The men were told to go Strong, stoic and emotionless.Being vulnerable about one’s mental health was frowned upon, and men were instead taught to suppress such emotions despite the negative cost this had on themselves and the people around them.
That’s why it’s incredibly refreshing to see men like Reynolds and Jackman break away from those stereotypes and admit that they not only struggle with mental health disorders like anxiety, but they refuse to let it consume them and their children. Jackman even admitted that he once held onto those beliefs that parents shouldn’t burden their children with their emotions.
“I was a little bit old-fashioned,” Jackman told People about sharing his emotions with his kids. “I was like, ‘Don’t overwhelm them if you’re anxious.’ I had to make an awkward phone call yesterday, and I actually said to my son, ‘I have to make this awkward phone call. I’m a little bit nervous about it. If I seem a little bit weird, that’s why.’ And he was like, ‘Oh.’ And then he was like, ‘How was the call, Dad?’ I said, ‘I feel a lot better.'”
Research has shown that anxious and depressed parents raise intelligent, well-behaved children.
TO Study conducted by the CDC It was found that 1 in 14 children aged 0-17 had at least one parent with poor mental health. A direct correlation was also found not only with their children’s poor mental health, but also with poor physical health.
Similarly, A study conducted by several Canadian universities In a study that focused on 61 children (36 boys and 25 girls), they looked at how parents’ anxiety and depression, both during pregnancy and when their children were between six and eight years old, affected children’s behavior. Researchers expected anxious and depressed parents to have a negative impact on their children, but the results The results turned out to be completely opposite..
Anxious and depressed parents had better attention spans, higher IQs, and greater self-control. Children with depressed parents were found to be able to sit still for longer periods, lose their temper less often, and have a much longer attention span. School test results also indicated that these children had higher IQs than children whose parents did not suffer from anxiety or depression.
One possible reason why parental distress seemed to have had the opposite effect is that these parents might be practicing better parental attunement, which is when parents are aware of and responsive to their children’s emotions, according to Tina Montreuil, a co-author of the 2018 article which reviewed maternal and paternal anxiety that impacts offspring.
In an interview with Daily ScienceMontreuil explained: “Since greater parental attunement is associated with child cognitive and social competencies, one possible explanation is that parents in our study sample may have shown greater attunement to their child to ‘compensate’ for environmental risk factors, such as maternal depressive or anxiety symptoms or other known predictors,” she said.
Ryan Reynolds has already spoken openly about his mental health issues.
During a Exclusive interview with Page Six In October 2023, Reynolds spoke candidly about his mental health, revealing that he sometimes finds himself “out of control” before admitting that he’s “not always good” at maintaining healthy boundaries and solutions for his mental health.
“I certainly have my own little rituals and things like that… Help me stay grounded and keep my mind from spinning. “I’m out of control,” he told the outlet. “Sometimes I’m really good at it, sometimes I’m not.”
Reynolds added that when he notices those “out of control” moments, Meditate to “take time” and regroup“I have a tendency to overwork myself when I’m in that spiral,” she said. “I’m aware of it and I handle it as best I can.”
“I’ve had anxiety my whole life, really, and you know, I feel like I have two parts of my personality. One takes over when that happens,” Reynolds explained during a February 2022 appearance on CBS’s “Sunday Morning.” The actor recalled how his feelings of anxiety would be heightened before he appeared on talk shows.
“I remember standing backstage before the curtain opened,” she said. “And I was thinking, ‘I’m going to die. I’m literally going to die here. The curtain is going to open and I’m going to be a symphony of vomit.’ Something horrible is going to happen!”
Talking openly about the steps he takes To make sure your anxiety doesn’t overwhelm you.Reynolds noted that “as soon as the curtain opens” before he takes the stage, “this little guy takes over.”
“And he was like, ‘I’ll take this. You’re great. ‘ I feel my heart rate slow down and my breathing calm down, and I walk out and I’m a different person. And I walk out of that interview thinking, ‘God, I would love to be that guy! ‘”
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news and lifestyle writer whose work delves into current issues and experiences.
