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Celebrities with Social Anxiety

Matt

Sep 18, 2019

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Social anxiety is more common than you might think. Rest assured, you’re not the only one who wakes up dreading the day ahead. In fact, social anxiety is the third most prevalent mental health problem in the United States. Social anxiety disorders plague even some of Hollywood’s most extroverted celebrities.

Taylor Swift dealing with social anxiety

Image by @taylorswift / Instagram

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is one celebrity not afraid to speak out about social anxiety. In 2015, Swift opened up to NME about deep-rooted insecurities she experiences when socializing and on stage. Of course, Kanye West making a cringe-worthy attempt to upstage Swift at the 2015 Grammy Awards probably didn't help matters. Even before that, though, Taylor Swift says that she has always felt like other people expect her to fail at some point. As everyday sufferers of social anxiety know, this can be a very familiar feeling.

Barbara Streisand dealing with social anxiety

Image by Wikimedia Commons

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Barbra Streisand

Loss of personal privacy is a pressing problem for celebrities. For Barbara Streisand, this became a major concern in 2003, when aerial images of her Malibu home were published online. Trying to have images removed proved futile. Instead, attempts drew the attention of the media. As a result, what has since been coined "the Streisand effect," became something of an early Internet meme. Sadly, what many people don't realize is that Barba Streisand's struggle with social anxiety reaches much further back than the early 2000s. Like Taylor Swift and other celebrities, Streisand has regularly talked openly about how she constantly feels like she is expected to fail.

Donny Osmond on stage giving the crowd a thumbs up

Image by Wikimedia Commons

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Donny Osmond

As social anxiety sufferers know, anxiety doesn't always take the form of nervousness or fear of being put under a social spotlight. In many cases, social anxiety can give rise to crippling panic attacks, social isolation, and a host of other problems. In his book, Life is Just What You Make It, Donny Osmond talks candidly about the role anxiety has played in his own life. Himself an early riser to stardom, Donny has struggled with everything from panic attacks before going on stage, to anxiety caused by the stress of having a squeaky-clean public image, throughout his career.

Oprah holding a microphone speaking about social anxiety

Image by Wikimedia Commons

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Oprah Winfrey

Waking up early or being an early riser on the weekend, used to be synonymous with turning on the television and being greeted by Oprah Winfrey. As far as celebrities go, Oprah was daytime TVs biggest star throughout the 1990s. However, during this time, Oprah often battled crippling social anxiety. At one point, things got so bad for Oprah, that the talk show star almost had a nervous breakdown. Unlike other celebrities, though, Oprah has never hidden from her demons. Instead, Oprah regularly talks candidly about being an early riser in showbusiness, plagued with anxiety during her early career.

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Matt

GR8NESS Writer

Matt is a GR8NESS contributing writer on such subjects as pets, CBD, pain relief, sexual health, time management, and family & parenting. When he's not placed in the awkward position of referring to himself in the third person, Matt tries to keep two Dachshunds, an 18-year old daughter, and one wife blissfully happy but not necessarily in that order.

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