Ryan Reynolds: I overwork myself to cope with my anxiety

Ryan Reynolds takes on too much work in order to cope with his anxiety.

The ‘Red Notice’ star has admitted he has a tendency to “bite off way more than he can chew” when it comes to his workload, because staying busy stops him from “fixating” on things and letting his mental health get the better of him.

He said: “I tend to bite off way more than I could or should chew. I think maybe it’s just that Canadian sensibility: ‘Well, I said I was going to, so I have to deliver this.’ I will do that at the cost of my own well-being sometimes.

“I fixate on things. That’s sort of the engine of anxiety. I lay awake at night, wrapping and unwrapping every possible scenario. I slept at a perfect right angle for so many years.”

But Ryan is trying to change his behaviour, and is even planning on taking a break from Hollywood so that he can slow down and work on living life in the moment.

He added to WSJ. magazine: “I tend to pave over anxiety with work and, to a lesser extent, achievement. You want to tick boxes sometimes. So these days, my goal is to be as present as I can and not just tick a box just to do it. I’m fully embracing and living that right now.

“It’s been amazing. Heartfelt personal-growth quote: check.”

Meanwhile, the 45-year-old actor previously opened up about his mental health when he said he had felt “twitchy” with anxiety ever since he was a child.

Ryan said his battle with anxiety was partly due to the “complicated” and “fractured” relationship he had with his late father, who he described as “a former cop, former boxer, full-time landmine”.

The ‘Deadpool’ star explained: “My dad was a tough guy. He was good in many ways as well, but he was tough on us.

“This is not meant to be some sob story – everyone carries their own bag of rocks around and I am no different in that regard – but growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways.”