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Emma Stone Opens Up About Childhood Anxiety

By Dynne C. | Update Date: Feb 06, 2024 02:14 AM EST

Hollywood actress Emma Stone has opened up about her mental health. 

In a recent interview with National Public Radio for her in "Poor Things," Emma Stone shared her battle with childhood anxiety.

She revealed that her first panic attack struck at 7 years old. Despite evidence to the contrary, she vividly remembered feeling her friend's house was on fire. Therapy became a vital tool at age 8, as leaving home for school became a difficult task for her, clouded by fear of panic attacks.

"I started in therapy, I think around age 8, because it was getting really hard for me to leave the house to go to school. I sort of lived in fear of these panic attacks," she said. 

How acting helped her anxiety as a child

Turning to acting at 11, Stone found solace in the craft, enabling her to stay present and escape the past or future anxieties. Her experience is a concrete example of how drama therapy can be an effective tool for some people. 

Drama therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses theatrical elements to explore and address emotional and psychological challenges. Through creative expression, individuals engage in therapeutic processes to enhance self-awareness and promote healing. In Stone's case, acting served as an escape where her intense emotions were not only acknowledged but also deemed productive.

Using anxiety as a superpower

Stone sees anxiety as a creative superpower, urging individuals to view it as a unique gift rather than a flaw. This coping mechanism is not uncommon since the emotions behind anxiety and excitement are similar. Anyone can transform their anxiety into an exciting motivational tool. Stone believes anxiety offers valuable tools for managing emotions, emphasizing its potential to serve as rocket fuel for creative pursuits.

"I've told a lot of younger people that struggle with anxiety, that in many ways I see it as kind of a superpower. ... Just because we might have a funny thing going on in our amygdala, and our fight-or-flight response is maybe a little bit out of whack in comparison to many people's brain chemistry, it doesn't make it wrong. It doesn't make it bad. It just means we have these tools to manage," the actress said. 

She continued, "And if you can use it for productive things, if you can use all of those feelings in those synapses that are firing for something creative, or something that you're passionate about, or something interesting, anxiety is like rocket fuel because you can't help but get out of bed and do things, do things, do things because you've got all of this energy within you. And that's really a gift."

Parental support

Reflecting on the role of her parents in her journey, Stone acknowledged in the interview the exceptional support she received to pursue acting. Their belief in taking bold steps and the financial stability to facilitate her move to Los Angeles played a significant role in her success.

Ultimately, parental support plays a big role in managing anxiety in children. It provides a foundation for emotional well-being while building resilience and confidence.  Parents are a key factor in achieving personal and professional success for children struggling with anxiety.

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