I know Carson Daly from the early aughts on MTV, where he got his start hosting Total Request Live. He seems so self assured and natural in front of the camera, which is how you assume most media personalities are. Carson currently hosts The Voice and is an anchor on the Today Show, where he recently opened up about the fact that he has anxiety and has suffered from panic attacks for years. He was inspired by Kevin Love, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who wrote a moving essay about having a panic attack during a game and being worried that people would find out about it. Carson said that he can have a panic attack when he otherwise might not be under stress, like at a playground with his kids and wife, and that he’s experienced anxiety since childhood (Note that this story has been out for a little bit but I wanted to talk about it.) Here’s some of what he said and you can see the video.
Carson said his anxiety started as a child.
“I was a worrywart kid. I was always worrying,” he said. “My father died when I was 5. I had an ulcer when I was in high school. I’ve been nervous my whole life.”
It worsened after he moved from his native California for a job at MTV.
“I moved to New York and my life changed overnight,” he said.
“At times I feel like there’s a saber-tooth tiger right here and it’s going to kill me attack me and bite my head off. I’m scared as if that’s really happening,” he said. “You feel like you’re dying.”
After one anxiety attack, he went to the hospital to make sure the tightness gripping his body wasn’t from a heart attack.
“People think, ‘Oh, he has anxiety. High pressure life. You know, you’re on television.’ It has nothing to do with that,” he said.
Carson said panic can grip him even during moments when most people would feel relaxed.
“I’ve had heightened anxiety and mild panic attacks at the playground with my own children and wife there. The feeling was so gripping and so terrifying that literally I had to leave and excuse myself,” he said.
Carson said part of the reason he’s talking about his anxiety is to help explain that the disorder doesn’t come with an easy fix.
“We live in that world where it’s like, ‘What did he take? I’ll take that too.’ It’s not that simple,” he said.
I opted for a cognitive therapist, somebody who teaches you about anxiety, the model of it, and offers you tools on how to kind of work through it,” he said. “Muscle retention relaxation really helps me.”
That technique can involve something as simple as clinching his fists enough to flex his arm muscles. That’s enough to help him feel “an ocean of relaxation” wash over him. Other techniques that can help anxiety include exercise and yoga.
“This is the way I was born. This is the way I was hardwired. This is the downside the way God made me and there’s a tremendous upside as well,” he said.
In the follow up segment, which you can see below, they also talked about the stigma associated with anxiety, particularly for men. They emphasized that there are help and tools available. Kudos to Carson for being so honest about his anxiety. That takes bravery to reveal, especially in his career when it can be used against you. Amanda Seyfried, Kristen Bell and Selena Gomez are among the celebrities who have discussed their anxiety, and this is one of the more heartfelt admissions. I like how he explained that being sensitive and feeling things deeply is an upside. In the video he also showed the relaxation technique he uses where he tenses his fists and biceps as hard as he can before releasing them.
As someone with anxiety, I came away with some tips from this interview. I’m going to remind myself to listen to music and to meditate as needed. I related to his story and I’m grateful he alerted me to Love’s essay.
photos credit: WENN and Getty
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