Reynolds jokes about stillness during a car accident 0:58
(CNN) -
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds spoke candidly this week about his mental health and the impact anxiety has had on his life and work.
On the most recent episode of the "SmartLess" podcast, Reynolds opened up after Sean Hayes, one of the podcast's hosts, brought up an Instagram post the actor had recently shared about anxiety.
The publication, which appeared during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, says: "To all those who, like me, overload the agenda, overthink, overthink, overwork, worry and do it all in excess, please know that you are not alone. "
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Hayes said she related to what Reynolds had posted on Instagram before asking her if she associated anxiety with success and, if so, if she was "scared" of getting rid of it.
The conversation caused Reynolds to talk openly about his experiences.
"That's the dangerous tightrope path that I think a lot of people find themselves on," Reynolds said Monday.
"I see anxiety as an engine for creativity, but it also has its own cloud and veil of darkness."
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The actor was "grateful" for his anxiety, as he has been able to make it "useful", but also highlighted the demoralizing impact it has had on him.
"There is a lot of insomnia, there are many sleepless nights in which you are awake overanalyzing everything," he said.
The "Deadpool" actor then told "SmartLess" hosts that anxiety is something that has been with him "all his life."
He pointed to his childhood as the time when his anxiety began to develop, although he was quick to say that the home he grew up in was not "too horrible from a general point of view."
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But Reynolds said the anxiety started when he was a child and he went on to speak frankly about his father and how their relationship affected him.
"My father was never an easy person to be around. He was like a fur-covered landmine," she said.
"You never knew when you were going to hit the wrong spot and he was going to explode."
Reynolds said this experience with his father led him to always try to predict the future as a child, meaning that he felt like he was "constantly living" in a space where something might or might not happen.
The actor added that the acting and comedy business also requires that performers have the ability to project themselves forward and anticipate what is going to happen next.
Reynolds concluded in "SmartLess" that there was a parallel between his anxiety and his work: "Everything is born from the same; those wheels that do not stop."
Anxiety Ryan Reynolds Mental Health