Why Anxiety and Panic Attacks Couldn't Stop Oscar-Winner Emma Stone
7 minute read
Stress can often cause many of us to feel overwhelmed, but when it begins to take over your life and causes frequent panic or anxiety attacks, your health can be in serious trouble. Nobody understands this more than Academy Award and BAFTA Award winner, Emma Stone.
Life at times can be stressful, and, as her story tells us, the effects can be long-lasting. Identifying what is wrong, what is causing it, and learning how to cope, however, are key to overcoming anxiety and living a healthy, happy life.
Emma Stone’s Stress Struggles
Stone reports that to this day her anxiety and panic attacks are still fresh in her mind, and despite learning to cope, anxiety is still very real and never entirely fades away. Her panic attacks started at the young age of 7, making them a truly lifelong struggle.
Anxiety is a mental disease that you can learn to control with therapy and other natural treatment options, such as dietary modifications, but it will always be there in the background.
Stone would miss school, pretending to be sick so as to avoid the triggers that would set her panic attacks in motion. Being away from home made her nervous and overwhelmed, so she wanted to remain at home with her mom for most days.
As a popular and successful movie star, it seems strange that she battled such a constricting condition.
Stone’s amazing story shows us that anxiety does not have to define our lives. Despite feeling anxious at a young age, Stone was able to overcome the panic and continues to lead a successful and fulfilling life.
And the fact that she does all this in front of the camera serves as a beacon in the anxiety community. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders, and it is beneficial for people to see that it doesn’t have to hold you back.
As it turned out, acting and improvisation classes were the therapy that helped Stone to cope with her anxiety and her panic attacks eventually ceased completely. Acting specifically helped her acknowledge and learn to express overwhelming emotions.
Stone shares that she is aware she still has generalized anxiety disorder, but she has learned to live with it and incorporate it into some of her best characters.
Don’t Let Anxiety Take Center Stage
While Stone found therapy in acting, many people successfully treat their anxiety disorders with therapy, medications, and natural treatment options. There is no definitive cure for anxiety, but with appropriate treatment, you can live a healthy life with minimal interference from panic or overwhelming emotions.
Natural methods are gaining in popularity as medications come with potential side effects. When it comes to anxiety, the best options you have to naturally curb those panic attacks and anxious feelings are below.
1. Exercise
Studies have found that when you keep moving and get regular physical activity, anxiety is easier to manage. A daily workout is an ideal way to release any built up stress and anxiety.
Exercise also triggers the release of endorphins, which are chemicals naturally produced by your body to help improve sleep and reduce stress.
2. Time Management
Having too many commitments is a top cause for anxiety, so learning to more effectively manage your tasks will reduce panic. Break projects down into smaller, easier-to-manage tasks and ask for help when needed.
Planning things out on a calendar will help avoid multitasking and allows you to space responsibilities out, giving you time to recharge in between.
3. Meditation and Relaxation
The key trademark of anxiety is continual racing thoughts. When you are able to slow these thoughts, you can effectively manage anxiety and prevent panic attacks.
Practicing mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga have all been proven to effectively reduce anxious thoughts and promote relaxation. Meditation has been so effective that many therapists now recommend it as part of regular treatment programs for anxiety disorders.
4. Stay Social
Spending time with family and friends helps to alleviate stress. Having a strong support circle allows you to share stressful events, making it easier to cope.
Many with generalized social anxiety may want to avoid social interactions at first, so starting small is essential to success. When you are in the company of one or two loved ones, you can begin to ease into becoming more sociable.
Stone initially only wanted to be around her mom, but with her mom by her side she expanded her circle and found comfort.
4. Supplements
Turmeric is a spice you probably use for you curried dishes, but it has additional benefits you may not know. Curcumin is the main compound in this spice and it possesses powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that can help with your anxiety.
By protecting your brain from oxidative damage and inflammation, anxious thinking is limited.
| Related: How to Avoid Marketing Tricks When Buying Turmeric Supplements |
In addition to this, curcumin triggers the elevated release of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which promotes relaxation and reduces stress. It can even help improve your memory.
With depression commonly being associated with anxiety disorders, curcumin also serves as a potent antidepressant, so is able to help you on several fronts when it comes to your mental health.
You can add turmeric to your meals or opt for a daily supplement to support your anxiety treatment plan.
5. Writing
Similar to how Stone found therapy in acting, you can find relief from anxious thoughts and panic by writing your thoughts down. The act of getting the thoughts out of your head helps you to better cope with them.
| Related: What Happens in the Brain When You Have Depression? |
Being able to express yourself, however you choose to do so, is an effective way to limit uncontrolled thoughts and panic. What matters is getting the stress out in a productive way to protect your brain from overloading.
The Bottom Line
Anxiety and depression can both dominate your life, if you let them, and many people are scared and sensitive about these conditions. With successful and prominent figures like Stone opening up about their struggles, people can realize they too have control over mental illness.
In fact, as Stone found out, when you don’t let the condition cripple you, you can use it for something positive, and end up living your fullest life.
