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Fans Thank Chrissy Teigen For Speaking Candidly About Her Anxiety

by Gillian Walters

If you're not familiar with anxiety, you might have misconceptions about how it manifests in people. Some might be surprised to learn, for instance, that the confident, sociable, and successful Chrissy Teigen deals with this very issue. But for supporters who know this condition, they realize all too well how anxiety can comfortably exist in someone who outwardly appears self-assured. And this is one reason why Chrissy Teigen opening up about anxiety is receiving so much praise, as she's raising awareness about the many complexities this condition can present.

In case you didn't catch it already, Teigen and her gorgeous family (husband John Legend, daughter Luna, 3, and son Miles, 1) appeared on the November cover of Vanity Fair. And in the accompanying interview, Teigen discussed various topics, including her struggle with anxiety. The model, for example, shared how her anxiety prevents her from holding on to "memories of trauma or even triumph." She also casually pointed out her Lexapro prescription to the reporter who interviewed the couple, Karen Valby, noting how she keeps it on her nightstand.

It's possible Teigen's anxiety originated in her teens, when her mom, Vilailuck Teigen, returned to her native home of Thailand to care for her ailing dad. While there, Vilailuck's mom died in a freak accident involving a train, and her dad died of complications related to lung cancer, according to Vanity Fair. This led to her staying in the country during Teigen's high school years, and she later secured a job teaching children English.

Valby mentioned this situation when describing Teigen's anxiety, writing, "Her wedding is a blur, as is the period during high school when her mother disappeared from her life. Teigen only thinks about the fact that she was motherless for a long time when Legend talks about his own childhood."

What made it worse for Teigen? Not being able to openly talk about the situation as a teen. "No one discussed why her dad took years to bring her mother home, and Teigen couldn’t bear the risk of hurting anyone with questions," Valby explained.

Although Teigen now enjoys a very close relationship with her mom (seriously, they're the most adorable BFFs), those memories of having to hold in her feelings as a kid run deep.

"I think I’m such an open person now because everyone in my family has always been so hush-hush, she explained. "I love attention and affection. I want to be direct with everyone."

Speaking of being direct, people are appreciative of Teigen's honesty regarding her anxiety.

"This is so damn good! Thank you for talking about anxiety," one fan tweeted about the article.

Someone else tweeted: "This whole article is worth a read. I feel @chrissyteigen's existential dread with my whole being because my anxiety manifests the same exact way (and stems from similar traumas.) And they are just such bright and kind people!"

Another supporter chimed in: "Splendid article @KarenValby Thank you for sharing esp about rough times with both moms as well as @chrissyteigen anxiety. I can identify! Happy wonderful family."

"This is so damn good! Thank you for talking about anxiety," one commenter penned.

I can't give Teigen enough props for sharing how anxiety manifests in different ways, like memory loss. It's important to realize no personality type is immune to this issue, and it can look different in each person. Thanks for sharing, mama.