Canadian actor Jay Baruchel is opening up about his lifelong bouts with anxiety.
“I was 24 when I was diagnosed with a generalized anxiety disorder, which is just a fancy medical way to describe the discomfort and unease I’ve felt my entire life anytime I had to do seemingly innocuous tasks like going out in public [or] being in a big group of people,” he said in a video published by Child Mind Institute on Monday.
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“A bunch of different things that were very small and they felt insurmountable and felt like the world I was in I was constantly at odds with,” he continued. “None of that was actually true, it’s just how I felt. I also felt isolated like I’m the only person dealing with this. One of the few things I’ve learned is I’m not the only person dealing with this. Lots of people do.”
Baruchel’s candour is part of the Child Mind Institute’s #MyYoungerSelf anti-stigma campaign.
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“If I could tell little me, younger me, anything, it would be ‘you’re not alone. You’re not the only kid feeling this and know that anxiety, for better or worse, is part of what makes you, you,” the 37-year-old actor assured. “I wouldn’t trade who I am for anything in the world. You wouldn’t be you without it.”
Other celebrities involved with the #MyYoungerSelf campaign include Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Weezer, Gabrielle Union, Bill Hader, Gillian Anderson, Ray Romano, Naomi Judd and Jay Leno.
