Anxiety is an issue that affects millions of people around the world and can manifest in different ways at any given moment in your life. While anxiety can be a debilitating mental disorder that stops you from getting things done, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds recently spoke about how he uses anxiety to his advantage to be a better parent.
During a Q&A with People magazine’s cover story promoting their upcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine, both A-list actors spoke about the importance of incorporating their own mental health into parenting and how it’s helped change their roles as fathers.
Ryan Reynolds has revealed that having anxiety makes him a “better dad.”
“You’ve been pretty open about your struggles with anxiety, which I really admire.” Jackman told Reynolds during the interview.“Do you think becoming a father has made you better or worse?”
In response, Reynolds acknowledged that “it does have positive effects,” explaining that the 47-year-old actor, who has four children with wife Blake Lively, is able to shift his focus from himself to his kids.
“Now I’ve grown to love that I have anxiety, that I had anxiety,” Reynolds continued. “It’s probably genetic, but seeing my kids go through it, it teaches me how to deal with it in a compassionate way, actually making them feel understood. I know I can’t just cure it, and I get to communicate all of that to my kids and with them, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Historically, men were socially expected to keep their emotions and feelings to themselves.
Men were taught to be strong, calm and not show their emotions. Showing weakness when it comes to their mental health was frowned upon and instead men were taught to suppress those emotions despite the negative impact they had on themselves and those around them.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to see men like Reynolds and Jackman defying those stereotypes, not only struggling with anxiety and other mental illnesses, but refusing to let it consume them and their children — Jackman even admits that he once held the belief that fathers shouldn’t burden their children with their emotions.
“I was kind of old-fashioned about sharing emotions with my kids,” Jackman told People magazine. “I was like, ‘If you’re nervous, don’t burden them with it.’ I had to make an awkward phone call yesterday. I actually just said to my son, ‘I have to make this awkward phone call. I’m feeling a little nervous. If I seem a little off, that’s why.’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ And he said, ‘Dad, how was the call?’ And I said, ‘I feel great.'”
Studies show that anxious and depressed fathers raise smarter, better-behaved kids.
a A study conducted by the CDC One in 14 children aged 0-17 years old had at least one parent with poor mental health, and there was a direct correlation between poor mental health and poor physical health in children.
Similarly, A study conducted by several Canadian universities The study, which focused on 61 children (36 boys and 25 girls), looked at how fathers’ anxiety and depression affected their children’s behavior during pregnancy and when the children were between the ages of 6 and 8. Researchers expected that anxious and depressed fathers would have a negative impact on their children, but the findings were quite the opposite.
“Anxious and depressed fathers have been found to have longer concentration times, higher IQs, and greater self-control. Children of depressed fathers have been found to be able to sit still longer, have fewer tantrums, and concentrate for much longer. These children also performed better on school tests than children of non-anxious and depressed fathers.
One possible explanation for the adverse effect of paternal stress is that these fathers may be practicing better parental attunement – that is, parents noticing and responding to their children’s emotions, says Tina Montreuil. Co-author of the 2018 paper We examined both maternal and paternal anxiety as it affected the offspring.
In an interview Science Daily“Because high parental agreeableness has been associated with children’s cognitive and social abilities, it is possible that fathers in our study sample increased their agreeableness with their children to ‘compensate’ for environmental risk factors such as maternal depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as other known predictors,” Montreuil explained.
Ryan Reynolds has previously spoken about his mental health struggles.
During the period Exclusive interview with Page Six In October 2023, Reynolds spoke openly about her mental health, revealing that it can sometimes feel “out of control,” before admitting that she’s “not always the best” at maintaining healthy boundaries and solutions for her own mental health.
“I definitely have my own little rituals and habits that help me stay grounded and keep my mind from getting out of control,” he told the news outlet. “Sometimes I’m really good at it, and sometimes I’m not.”
Reynolds added that when she finds herself in those “out-of-control” moments, she meditates and “takes time” to recover. “When I’m in that cycle, I have a tendency to overschedule myself,” she said. “I’m kind of aware of it and I deal with it as best I can.”
“I’ve had anxiety my whole life, and I feel like there are two sides to my personality, and when something like this happens, one side takes over,” Reynolds explained during an appearance on CBS’ “Sunday Morning” in February 2022. The actor recalled his increasing anxiety prior to appearing on the talk show.
“I remember standing backstage before the curtains opened,” he said, “and thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to die. I’m literally going to die here. The curtains open and I’m just going to become a symphony of vomit.’ Like, something horrible is going to happen!”
Opening up about the steps he takes to stop anxiety from overwhelming him, Reynolds said he “takes charge” “as soon as the curtains open” before going onstage.
“And he said, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK.’ My heart rate slowed down, my breathing slowed down, and I felt like a different person. And I walked away from that interview thinking, ‘Oh man, I want to be that guy!'”
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news and lifestyle writer whose articles explore contemporary issues and experiences.
