Ryan Reynolds sees his anxiety as a parenting tool.
After all, The Proposal actor, who has been open on his struggles with mental health in the past, recently shared how his worrying actually helps him as a parent to his and Blake Lively‘s four kids.
“I think it makes it better,” the 47-year-old explained to People in an interview published May 29, “because your focus is less on yourself and more on your kids.”
Ryan, who is father to James, 9, Inez, 7, Betty, 4, and a 15-month-old whose name has not yet been shared, even admitted that fatherhood helped him accept his mental health strife.
“Now I love that I have anxiety, I love that I’ve had anxiety,” he added. “Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate, that actually allows them to feel seen.”