Ryan Reynolds explains how having anxiety has helped him be a ‘good father’ to his four children.
Anxiety is something that millions of people around the world experience and it can take many different forms at certain times in our lives. Although it can be a debilitating mental health problem that can stop people from doing things, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds recently talked about how he was able to use it and become a good parent.
During a cover story Q&A for People with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman promoting their upcoming movie, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” both A-list actors talked about the importance of including their mental health on the road who they are raising their children and how it has helped change their lives. their roles as fathers.
Ryan Reynolds has opened up about how anxiety has helped him become a ‘better father.’
“You’ve been very open about your anxiety issues, which I applaud,” Jackman told Reynolds during their interview. “Do you find being a father makes it better or worse?”
In response, Reynolds admitted that it “makes it better.” The 47-year-old actor, who shares four children with his wife, Blake Lively, explained that he could change his mind to not focus on himself and his children.
“Now I like that I have anxiety; I like that I have anxiety,” Reynolds continued. “Because when I see my kids have some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to deal with it in a compassionate way, that really allows them to feel seen. I know I can’t just fix it. And I know why my kids do. I can talk to them about all of that and I’m always grateful.
Historically, there was a societal expectation for men to keep their feelings and emotions to themselves.
Men were told to be strong, emotional, and emotional. Being vulnerable about their mental health was frowned upon, and instead, men were taught to suppress those feelings despite the negative consequences they brought to themselves and their loved ones. surrounding.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to see men like Reynolds and Jackman break through that stereotype and admit that they don’t struggle with mental health issues like anxiety, but refuse to let it consume them. their children. Jackman even admitted that he used to hold to those beliefs that fathers should not burden their children with their feelings.
“I was old school,” Jackman told People about sharing his feelings with his children. I thought, ‘Don’t burden them if you’re worried.’ I had to make an uncomfortable phone call yesterday, and I said to my son, ‘I have to make this uncomfortable phone call, that’s why. ‘ And he said, ‘Oh.’ Then he said, ‘How did the call go, Dad?’ I said, ‘I feel so much better.’
Research has shown that anxious and depressed fathers raise intelligent and well-behaved children.
A CDC study found that 1 in 14 children ages 0-17 had at least one parent with mental health issues. There was also a direct correlation with not only their children’s mental health but physical health as well.
Similarly, a study conducted by several Canadian universities focused on 61 children – 36 boys and 25 girls – looked at how fathers’ anxiety and depression during the pregnancy even when their children are between six and eight years old, they have affected the children. behavior. Researchers expected that anxious and depressed fathers would have a negative impact on their children, but the findings ended up being completely different.
Anxious and depressed fathers had better attention spans, higher IQs, and more behavior. Children with depressed fathers were found to be able to stay quiet longer, have more tantrums, and have longer attention spans. School test scores have also shown that these children have higher IQs than children whose fathers were not anxious or depressed.
A possible reason why fathers’ trauma appears to have had the opposite effect is that these fathers may be using a positive parenting relationship, where parents are aware of and responsive to their child’s feelings, according to Tina Montreuil, co-author of that 2018 paper. examined mothers’ and fathers’ concerns about children.
In an interview with ScienceDaily, Montreuil explained, “Since greater parental involvement is associated with children’s cognitive and social skills, another possible explanation is that the fathers of our study samples may “They show a great deal of adaptability to their child to “compensate” for environmental risk factors, such as stress or anxiety symptoms, or other predictable ones,” he said.
Ryan Reynolds has previously spoken about his mental health struggles.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six in October 2023, Reynolds opened up about his mental health and revealed that he sometimes finds himself “out of control” before admitting that he “isn’t always she’s beautiful” to maintain healthy boundaries and solutions to her mental health. .
“I definitely have my little rituals and things like that that help me stay grounded and keep my mind from going out of control,” she told the news outlet. “Sometimes I’m good at it, sometimes I’m not.”
Reynolds also said that when he notices moments that are “out of control”, he meditates on “taking time” and regrouping. “I tend to isolate myself when I go that way,” he said. “I know those things, and I control them as much as you can.”
“I’ve been anxious all my life, really, and you know, I feel like I have two parts of my personality. That takes time when that happens,” Reynolds explained during the appearance of February 2022 on CBS’ “Sunday Morning.” The actor recalled how his feelings of anxiety would intensify before appearing on talk shows.
He said: “I remember I was standing at the back of the stage before the curtain opened. “And I said to myself, ‘I’m going to die. I will die here. The curtain will open, and I will be the music of vomit.’ Just, like, something bad is going to happen!”
Talking about the steps he takes to make sure his anxiety doesn’t overwhelm him, Reynolds noted that “once that curtain opens” before he goes on stage, “this guy takes over.”
“And he’s like: ‘I got this. You’re cool.’ I feel like, my heart rate goes down and my breathing slows down, and I want to go out, and I’m this different person and I leave that conversation: ‘God, I’d love to of that young man!’ “
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based writer, news, and lifestyle writer whose work focuses on contemporary issues and experiences.
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