Gillian Anderson opens up about her heart-breaking struggle with mental health

Actress Gillian Anderson has bravely opened up about her personal mental health issues and how she has worked to overcome them throughout her long-standing career in the public eye.

The TV star, 48, recently released a self-help book entitled ‘We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere’ (co-written with Jennifer Nadel) packed full of advice she would have given to her younger self.

Speaking to The Guardian about her own private battles, Gillian revealed that she first started speaking to a therapist at the age of 14 and that on her lowest days she didn’t even want to “leave the house.”

“There were times when it was really bad. There have been times in my life where I haven’t wanted to leave the house,” she revealed during the candid chat.

“I have struggled with self-esteem myself, and in looking at the ways that I have dealt with overcoming those things, I started to think that maybe some of it might be potentially useful for other people of all ages.”

The Hollywood star, who rose to fame playing FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the widely popular X-Files series, also opened up about her troubles with memory, and said a friend had suggested she might suffer from dyslexia.

She confessed: “Somebody had said to me that dyslexia isn’t just about seeing words backwards, it’s also about the assimilation of information.

“I’d always been afraid to look into it, because I was afraid that if I found something out, I would think that I couldn’t do anything that I wanted to do.

She added: “I have this impression that I can do whatever I make up my mind to.”

Gillian revealed she uses techniques detailed in her book, such as mindful meditations and daily affirmations, to help her to battle any lurking demons and stay in a positive mind-set.

“The only thing that really matters in terms of our peace of mind is our peace of mind itself, and how we react to things,” she said. “All I know is that when I meditate, one goes beyond the physical, and it is possible to tap into a sense of absolute contentment and joy in that place.”

We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere is available now.

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