Emma Stone does a “brain dump” when she’s feeling anxious. The ‘La La Land’ star shared how she is coping with her anxiety amidst the current coronavirus lockdown as she spoke to support young people experiencing similar mental health issues, particularly due to the current health crisis.
Speaking in a new video to support Child Mind Institute’s #WeThriveInside campaign, she said: “Many of us are dealing with isolation, anxiety, and uncertainty during this COVID-19 crisis, and this includes the 17 million kids and teens in America that’s one in five – who have a mental health disorder. We’re inviting you to be part of our team. Something I really like to do when I’m struggling with anxiety is a brain dump. What I do is just write down anything that I’m worried about.
“I just write and write and write and I don’t think about it and I don’t read it back. I find it’s really, really helpful for me to get it all out on paper. I hope you’re staying safe, you’re staying strong and healthy and I’m sending you lots of love.”
Emma previously confessed she has suffered panic attacks since she was seven but she feels “lucky” that she has had the mental illness, as it makes her “high energy”.
When asked if she remembers a time she felt the most anxious, Emma said: “Yeah when I was seven. That’s when I started having panic attacks, which I’ve talked about pretty extensively. I think your wiring is just kind of what you are.
“My mom always says that I was born with my nerves outside of my body. But I’m lucky for the anxiety because it also makes me high-energy… I am sensitive on a level that is problematic. I mean, I’ve talked to my therapist about it before, and she’s like, Thank God you found [acting]. I started acting in youth theatre when I was 11. But it’s weird when it becomes your job. And then there are other parts of it, like sitting here with the tape recorder in between us, that aren’t things that you think about when you’re a kid and it’s just like, ‘This is a safe, great place to feel a lot.”‘
