Ryan Reynolds shares how he keeps from ‘spinning out of control’ amid anxiety struggles

Ryan Reynolds is opening up about his mental health and how he struggles just like everyone else. The "Deadpool" star recently spoke at the 11th Annual Revels & Revelations Gala for Bring Change hosted by Bring Change To Mind—a mental health-focused nonprofit co-founded by actress Glenn Close—where he was honored. During the event, the 46-year-old actor admitted to PageSix that he feels like he’s spinning "out of control" every now and then.

“Not always great, to be honest,” Reynolds said of how he’s been managing his mental health. “I certainly have my own little rituals and those kinds of things that help me stay grounded and keep my mind from spinning out of control. Sometimes I’m really good at it, sometimes I’m not,” he added.

Reynolds told the outlet that he turns to meditation in order to take time out for himself and get his mental health back on track. “I tend to overbook myself when I’m spiraling that way,” the actor explained. “I’m sort of aware of that stuff and I manage it as well as you can.”

The actor also got candid last year about his struggles with anxiety all his life. "I feel like I have two parts of my personality, that one takes over when that happens,” Reynolds said in a 2022 CBS Sunday Mornings interview. "When I would go out on, like, 'Letterman,' back in the day, I was nervous. But I remember I'd be standing backstage before the curtain would open, and I would think to myself, 'I'm gonna die. I'm literally gonna die here. The curtain's gonna open and I'm just gonna be, I'm just gonna be a symphony of vomit,' just, like, something horrible's gonna happen!"

The charming Reynolds fans see on screen is often a last-second shift. "But as soon as that curtain opens – and this happens in my work a lot too – it's like this little guy takes over. And he's like, 'I got this. You're cool.' I feel, like, my heart rate drops, and my breathing calms, and I just sort of go out and I'm this different person. And I leave that interview going, 'God, I'd love to be that guy!'" he confessed.

A few months ago the actor announced an exciting project to "help everyone fall asleep" through his new series on the Maximum Effort Channel on FuboTV which began on June 20. The sleep story TV show named "Bedtime Stories" has the promising tagline, "From an anxious mind comes a restful show." 

The actor shared on Instagram at the time that the idea for the new show was inspired by the birth of his fourth child. The day the baby was born was probably a pretty sleepless one for everyone in the family of six. The "Free Guy" star shares James, 8, Inez, 6, and Betty, 3, with Blake Lively. The pair have not revealed the name of their fourth child yet.

"The idea for a show made to help everyone fall asleep was born the same day as my fourth child," Reynolds wrote in a June 15 Instagram post about his latest show. "I can't wait for you to watch Bedtime Stories." The show's announcement also included a video of himself dressed in pajamas.

While speaking to a pair of animatronic sheep, he explained over a voiceover, "You know the best part about stories? You remember them. They stay with you. And I want to tell you a bedtime story. Rest your tired bones." Stepping out onto the house's roof and staring at the night sky, he closed his eyes and added: "And whatever you do, don't... fall... asleep."