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Celebrities that Overcome Anxiety: Olivia Munn's Story

Gloria Goodwin's picture
Celebrities that Overcome Anxiety: Olivia Munn's Story

Olivia Munn is a beautiful actress well known for her roles in many big films today. She makes many guest appearances on network television and she's continued to act in blockbusters gaining bigger roles each year. In addition to being an actress, Munn also models for many different companies. For example, she's been in Playboy and also has modeled for Pepsi. She even became an author in 2010 with her book Suck It, Wonder Woman.

While Munn's life certainly is in the spotlight and she enjoys it, there are many different layers to her. Her confidence on screen and in pictures masks the fact that she has a rare form of anxiety disorder. She recently spoke about this disorder, how it affects her life and how she has overcome it for so many years.

Trichotillomania and Life

Olivia has an anxiety disorder that not many people are familiar with. This is where she rips out her eyelashes by just using her fingers. Other people with trichotillomania rip out their hair follicles on other areas of their body, but this isn't the case with Munn. She admits that she doesn't bite her nails or rip out other hair on her body, but she can't stop ripping out her lashes. She admits that it doesn't cause her pain because she's been doing it for so many years. This has caused her to constantly wear fake eyelashes whether she's doing a photo shoot or just going to the grocery store.

This disorder causes even more anxiety because she doesn't want people to make fun of her. As a child she grew up moving around all the time. This made her a perpetual "new kid", which meant other kids making fun of her. Her anxieties as a child still follow her around today and have manifested themselves into this disorder. Olivia doesn't speak a lot about her disorder or how it affects her, but she has made it known.

Olivia even revealed that her social anxiety affects her when she goes out to parties and social occassions. She explained that when going to a party recently, she simply stood outside because she didn't want to go in alone. Her fear of people being mean to her has caused her to have problems in many social situations throughout her life. While she hasn't let them affect her professionally, they have made an impact on her personal life.

Focusing on Life and Moving Forward

She is focused on expanding her career and has spent most of her time making connections with people she has worked with in the past. All of this work takes a lot of her time and her attention, which leads to countless hours spent not thinking about her disorder. While she has opened up about her trichotillomania to many media outlets, she doesn't speak about it on her social networking sites.

She's recently landed even more roles in huge movies that are set to come out later this year. These roles have given her more passion than ever to continue with her career and get more parts in the future. She doesn't let her disorder slow her down, which is why she has been so successful. Whether she's at a modeling shoot or acting in a blockbuster she puts her heart and soul into what she is doing without letting her anxieties hold her back.

How you can be Successful with Anxiety

If you suffer from this disorder or any other type of anxiety disorder, you should know there are ways to get through it. Although those anxieties are always going to be there, they don't have to control your life. You can use Olivia's story as one that provides you with hope and inspiration. If someone who works in Hollywood can survive with anxiety, so can you! Your fears don't have to control what you accomplish in life, whether professionally or personally.

Try putting all of your focus into something you care about and see how you feel. This can easily take your mind off of your anxiety and help you move forward with something new. You will never know what you can accomplish in life until you try your hardest. No disorder has the ability to control your life, especially if you are focused and determined, just like Olivia Munn and other celebrities!