Giving Strength to Others
- Actress and activist Olivia Munn, 40, acknowledged on Instagram how hard it is to pull yourself out of a dark depression, letting people know that she is “proud” of those lifting themselves out from that hole.
- Munn suffered from emotional issues after speaking out against director Brett Ratner in 2017, and voiced how the stress started manifesting in physical ways.
- Mental health professional say it’s important to let your emotions out, especially for cancer thrivers and survivors; Don’t be afraid to speak out.
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The Physical Impact of Stress
The former G4 Attack of the Show! TV host (the show and gaming network is set to come back and Munn’s name is attached) opened up to Women’s Health magazine about balance, which she became aware of earlier in life while living outside of Tokyo (she was born in Utah) where her step-father was stationed. The Asian American said she first learned the mind-body connection by doing Tae Kwon Do as a young girl. "When you do martial arts, it makes you feel like you're physically capable of anything," she had said. "And the great side effect is that when you're in your best shape, you actually will look your best too."
In 2017, the PETA activist spoke out with a handful of other women against director Brett Ratner (whom she had worked with on After The Sunset) for sexual misconduct while on set, and the next couple of years took a toll on her health. "One of the things that stresses me out more than anything," she had shared to the mag, "is how do we do right by [the silence breakers]?" She explained that stress began to manifest in physical ways, like breaking out in an all-over body rash. Doctors mentioned the possibility of Lupus, but it wound up being stress. Munn had to learn how to achieve balance in her life once again, by eating clean, meditating, and trying alternative practices.
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Overcoming Depression
Mental health professionals say not wanting to reach out or get help when feeling depressed is fairly common. This tendency toward isolation can happen to people going through cancer, but just knowing that there is help out there can make you feel a little less alone. That’s why reducing the stigma of speaking out on depression and anxiety is so important.
Colon cancer survivor Evelyn Reyes-Beato told SurvivorNet that you just have to let the emotions out. “Your mental and your emotional help your physical get in line. But if you keep all of the emotions in, the way I see it is that stuff is going to eat you up inside, and it’s not going to leave you heal. So you got to let it out when it’s going to come out, and don’t worry if you think that other people are seeing you as weak.”
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
Mandy Ginsberg, former CEO of Match Group told SurvivorNet in a previous interview about her decision to step down as CEO. “One of the reasons that I’ve taken a step back and resigned is these jobs are intense, and I think that I was going a hundred miles an hour,” she admitted. “I will tell you, it’s helpful to have a great partner or a great friend or a great mom or a great daughter. We need these people. Especially women who do so much of the taking care of, it’s hard for us to ask for help. You’ve got to ask for it. You’ve got to ask it from your kids, too, because your kids, they see everything that’s going on.” She adds something very important that every woman (and human) should know. “I can’t say I ever did the balance thing perfectly. I don’t know if any of us do.
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