Reese Witherspoon’s daughter Ava Phillippe, 24, gets candid over mental health and her ‘intense’ struggle with anxiety
Reese Witherspoon’s daughter Ava Phillippe, 24, gets candid about mental health and her ‘intense’ battle with anxiety
Reese Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava Phillippe, opened up about her mental health on Saturday.
The 24-year-old social media personality took to Instagram to host a Q&A, in which she spoke about her mental health and described her “intense” struggle with anxiety.
Ava, the daughter of the Legally Blonde actress, 47, and Cruel Intentions star Ryan Phillippe, 49, revealed she has had anxiety for ‘as long as I can remember’ and shared some tips for coping with her million followers.
“I’ve dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember, and it was especially intense for me as a child and teenager,” she said.
When a fan asked how she personally deals with it, she shared some tips, but also noted that “there is no one solution that works for everyone.”
Opening up: Reese Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava Phillippe, opened up about her mental health on Saturday
As a first tip, she said: ‘Don’t invalidate your feelings.
“You have every right to feel how you feel, even if it seems strange to others,” she continued. “And being hard on yourself won’t help you feel better or find a solution.”
She said that when she finds herself struggling with anxiety, she takes deep breaths and focuses on her surroundings.
It also helps to engage her five senses and remind herself that the stressful moments are temporary.
“Write down 1-3 things you can smell, touch, hear, etc. at that moment… and remember: this feeling will pass even if you have to drive it around for a while,” she added.
During the Q&A, Ava also confessed that she picks her skin when she’s anxious, but that she’s been working to break that bad habit.
“It’s so tempting for some reason, but I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve done better not to do that,” she said.
Ava also told her followers about her college experience and studying social welfare at UC Berkeley.
Answering questions: The 24-year-old social media personality took to Instagram to host a question-and-answer session, in which she spoke about her mental health and described her ‘intense’ struggle with anxiety
Candid conversation: Ava, the daughter of the Legally Blonde actress, 47, and Cruel Intentions star Ryan Phillippe, 49, revealed she’s had anxiety for ‘as long as I can remember’ and shared some tips for coping with her million followers
Advisory: When a fan asked how she personally deals with it, she shared some tips but also noted that “there is no one solution that works for everyone.”
“I loved this degree and learned so many fascinating lessons about different social/political movements, systemic inequality, psychology, and social work practice,” she explained.
“Even though I didn’t end up becoming a social worker, I still think what I learned in this major says a lot about how I move through the world and my views on some important issues,” she said.
Ava graduated from college last year and is pursuing a career in modeling.
Over the years, she has done campaigns with brands like Pat McGrath, Beyoncé’s Ivy Park and her mother’s line, Draper James.
She is the eldest of her mother’s three children. Reese is also the mother of two sons from separate relationships: Deacon Phillippe, 19, and Tennessee James Toth, 11.