Trending 3rd October 2023 by Lorna Gilligan
Reese Witherspoon’s Daughter Ava Phillippe Opens Up About ‘Intense’ Anxiety
Ava Phillippe the daughter of Reece Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, has opened up in a major way when it comes to her mental health.
Ava got real speaking about her longtime struggle with anxiety during an Instagram Q&A on September 30th.
She said: “I’ve dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember, and it was especially intense for me as a kid & teenager.”
When asked how she deals with anxiety, she acknowledged that “there is no one solution that works for everyone” but not what has helped and what does help when she’s feeling particularly anxious.
She advised: “Don’t invalidate your feelings. You have every right to feel however you do, even if it seems weird to others, & being hard on yourself won’t help you feel better or find a solution.”
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The 24-year-old suggested taking deep breaths “a few more than you think you need”, and checking in with your senses.
She continued saying: “Note 1-3 things you can smell, touch, hear, etc… in the moment and remember: this feeling will pass, even if you have to ride it out for awhile.”
Ava continues to work on herself in other ways, confessing that her biggest “bad habit” is picking at her skin.
She said: “It’s just so tempting for some reason, but I think I’ve been better about not doing that as I’ve gotten older.”
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Besides opening up about mental health, Ava also revealed how studying social welfare at UC Berkeley, California has shaped how she sees the world today.
She noted: “Loved this major and got to take so many fascinating classes on various social/political movements, systemic inequities, psychology, & the practice of social work. Even though I didn’t end up becoming a social worker, I still think what I learned in this major informs a lot of how I move through the world and my perspective on some major issues.”