Busy Philipps is famous for sharing everything. Except her anxiety.
Busy Philipps, the actor and mega Instagram star who shares exactly what’s on her mind, face, hair or anything else if you’ve seen her posts, once hid something so scary, she kept it from her parents. Her anxiety.
Philipps, 39, says her anxiety was so fierce she couldn’t sleep or even steal out of bed to tell her parents.
The “Freaks and Geeks,” “Cougar Town” and “Vice Principals” actor shared her experience with anxiety as part of the Child Mind Institute’s #MyYoungerSelf campaign.
Philipps joined dozens of celebrities, athletes and social and business influencers who have made videos for the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit that helps children and young adults with mental health and learning disorders, to talk about depression and anxiety. Among them: Kristen Bell, James Van Der Beek, Brittany Snow and Clark Gregg.
In her video, Philipps realized something about her anxiety: “It turns out that there’s nothing wrong with me. Once I was able to start talking about it, it relieved a lot of the anxiety, and I was able to get help — therapy and sometimes medication, which, there’s nothing wrong with that either.”
One oft-repeated message among other celebrities in their videos to their younger selves is not to feel embarrassed or ashamed. It’s a message that Philipps echoed. “It’s something that a lot of people struggle with. It feels kind of incredible to know that you’re not alone,” she said.