The Oscar-winning actor and Goop founder (53) spoke candidly on the latest episode of her Goop podcast, admitting that despite decades spent dedicated to wellness, she is now having to “relearn” how to regulate her mind and body.
“I would like to be more intentional about how I spend my time,” she said. “I think I have a bit of ADD and I can really get pulled in lots of directions. I would love to try to not do that so much and feel more grounded throughout the day.”
Paltrow, who shares two children with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, said her nervous system has been affected by years of stress, hormonal changes and life in the public eye.
“I’ve lived a very intense life in the public eye for a really, really long time,” she said. “Whenever we’re at the mercy of people’s opinions – and all the energy behind those opinions – it kind of frays my nervous system.
“I have a lot of anxiety for the first time in my life, which is a symptom of hormonal changes. I think it’s an oestrogen dominance thing. It makes you really anxious. So part of it is physiological, part of it is psychological, part of it’s emotional and part of it’s public life.”
The Iron Man star went on to describe how her anxiety often peaks at night. “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. Then I’ll have intrusive thoughts, which I’ve never had in my life. My sleep is still pretty OK, but sometimes I wake up in the morning and I’m filled with dread.”
I have amazing friends, amazing, amazing, amazing women in my life, whom I can call if I need help
ADD describes the predominantly inattentive form of ADHD, which affects focus and organisation rather than hyperactivity. However, the term is considered outdated and is no longer an official diagnosis.
Paltrow said she is working closely with professionals to help manage her symptoms. “I have two therapists – one is a nervous-system specialist,” she said.
“I have amazing friends, amazing, amazing, amazing women in my life, whom I can call if I need help.
“And then I get a lot of healing from my family, from my kids and my husband. If all four kids – my stepkids and my kids – and my husband and I are under one roof, my nervous system calms down.”
Her comments follow an earlier admission in March that she has been “really in the thick” of menopause, saying her hormones, emotions and sleep have been “all over the place”.
At the time, the Shallow Hal star said she found herself turning to alcohol when wildfires swept through Southern California earlier this year.
“In January when the fires were happening in LA, I’ve, like, used alcohol for its purpose. I think I drank every night. I was medicating,” she said. “Normally I don’t drink a lot – maybe one drink a week – but my symptoms were completely out of control.”
She also revealed that menopause had triggered severe insomnia and night-time anxiety. (© The Standard)
