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Gwyneth Paltrow is struggling with anxiety for the first time in her life. The actress believes her “hormonal phase of life” is behind her new mental health battle, she said on Tuesday’s episode of her “The Goop” podcast. “I have a lot of anxiety for the very first time in my life, which is just a symptom of hormonal changes,” Paltrow said. “I think it’s an estrogen dominance thing. It makes you really anxious,” the Goop founder continued. “So part of it is physiological, part of it is psychological, part of it’s emotional and part of it’s public life.” The “Marty Supreme” actress — who grew up in the spotlight as a child actress and daughter to famous parents Blythe Danner and the late Bruce Paltrow — explained that she has “lived a very intense life in the public eye” for years. “And so I think whenever we’re at the mercy of people’s opinions and all the energy behind the opinions — I’m very sensitive, as most of us are — so I feel that and it kind of frays my nervous system,” Paltrow said. The “Glee” alum, 53, said that her mental health has affected the way she physically feels. “The past couple of years it’s hit me so hard,” she said, adding, “But I know there’s something wrong because my cortisol [stress hormone] … Like I’ll get in bed exhausted and my heart will start to race.” She also struggles with intrusive thoughts, which is something new for the Hollywood icon. “My sleep is still pretty okay, but sometimes I wake up first thing in the morning and I’m filled with dread,” she said. “But it’s never been who I am, so there’s a lot of parts to it, but definitely there’s a big nervous system component.” Gwyneth finds herself allowing small things to ruin her mood, noting that a negative work email can be like “a slap in the face.” “So I would really like to rewire myself so that medium or bad news doesn’t feel so terrible,” she said. Gwyneth is seeking help from two therapists, one of whom is a nervous system specialist. She also turns to her family and friends for support. “And then I get a lot of healing from my family, from my kids and my husband,” she said. “If I can be with everyone, especially if all four kids — my stepkids and my kids — and my husband and I, if we’re under one roof, my nervous system calms down.” Gwyneth — who shares daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19, with ex-husband Chris Martin — married Brad Falchuk in 2018. Falchuk has two kids from a previous marriage. To manage her stress, the “Politician” star is aiming to be “more intentional” about how she spends her time. “I think I have a bit of ADD and I can really sort of get pulled in lots of directions. I would love to try to not do that so much and feel more grounded throughout the day,” she said.
