Chris Evans praised for honest post about anxiety

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Hollywood star Chris Evans is being praised by fans for a frank post about his struggle with anxiety.

On Friday evening (15 October), the Marvel actor remarked: “Nothing like anxiety for no reason whatsoever. Looking like a 4pm bedtime for me. Happy Friday!”

At the time of writing, the post had received more than a quarter of a million “likes”, and thousands of comments from fans expressing their support for the 40-year-old.

More said that they felt “seen” and “validated” by the actor, as they thanked him for demonstrating that mental health issues affect everyone.

“Love that Chris Evans is so open about his anxiety,” one fan wrote. “And [I] feel validated, cuz yesterday, my anxiety sky rocketed for no reason at all in the middle of my day. And I’m a therapist .”

“The way it strangely makes me feel seen that Chris Evans is being this relatable. Sleep easy tonight, king,” another said.

“Dude I love that you share this, because any time I do, people tell me it’s not healthy to be in bed all day,” one person wrote. “Sometimes you just HAVE to, and it’s the best course of action. appreciate you making this more normalised.”

One fan tweeted: “This honestly made me want to cry. Anxiety knocks me on my ass on the regular and it feels like a personal failing. To see a hugely successful person share that they’re in the same boat? That reminds me to be kinder to myself, which ironically makes me feel less anxious.”

“Thank you for normalising this feeling!” Australian TV presenter Maude Garrett tweeted.

“I can’t describe how grateful I am to see more and more celebrities, let alone actors, let alone ones famous for playing superheroes, being open about mental health issues and showing how normal it truly is,” another fan wrote.

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Evans recently made a cameo in Ryan Reynolds’ new film Free Guy.

He is next due to star in the sci-fi black comedy Don’t Look Up, along with ensemble castmembers Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett, Timothee Chalamet and Matthew Perry.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.