Anne Hathaway Was 'Chronically Stressed' Until This Mindset Shift Showed Her How to 'Surrender'

Anne Hathaway is finally receiving the love and praise she’s long deserved, from fans fawning over the star’s carefree dancing at Paris Fashion Week last year or the growing hype around her upcoming Amazon Prime rom-com, The Idea of You. We love this moment for her, especially because it wasn’t long ago that Hathaway was the victim of a brutal online troll campaign, as people seemingly took offense to how genuinely excited she was about winning an Oscar in 2013. Hathaway recently spoke about how that moment had a “toxic” impact on her career, and now the actress is continuing to share some of the difficult mental health challenges she’s had while pursuing her professional dreams.

Speaking with David Marchese on a new episode of The Interview podcast, Hathaway admitted that she was under a ton of stress as a young actress, and that was probably why she often played “chronically stressed out young women” early in her career. (Andy from The Devil Wears Prada would definitely qualify.)

“I was a really stressed out young woman,” Hathaway recalled. “And as a formerly chronically stressed young woman, which leads to, you know, all manner of things, I just remember thinking one day, ‘You are taking this for granted. You are taking your life for granted.'”

Hathaway said that “literally everything” about her life stressed her out, and that she was “just very, very, very in my head, about a lot of things.” Put another way, “I didn’t know how to breathe yet,” Hathaway remembered, and it was “really, really complicated not knowing how to breathe.”

Like many people, Hathaway experienced “somatic” stress, which means she felt physical symptoms of stress manifest in her body. Per Cleveland Clinic, those symptoms can include chest pain, high heart rate, difficulty sleeping, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and more. And chronic stress can also lead to long-term physical health issues, such as heart disease, problems with memory and focus, headaches, anxiety, and depression, according to Mayo Clinic.

Hathaway said that, eventually, “a light went on” that helped her realize that stressing out and putting pressure on herself wasn’t going to help her succeed. She learned to “surrender” and began practicing gratitude, which helped her appreciate in the positives of her life even as she dealt with the stress.

Practicing gratitude in particular is a tried-and-true stress relief method that science can back up. According to one 2021 review, “gratitude interventions might be effective in improving mental health,” and research conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic found that “gratitude-focused writing” (like journaling) helped people maintain gratitude and decrease stress. It’s not always easy to lean into gratitude when you’re stressed and facing challenges, but that’s the time when your mental health needs it most.

For Hathaway, realizing that life wouldn’t last forever also put things in perspective. “You have no idea. Something could fall through the sky and that will be lights out for you,” Hathaway explained. “So when I find… the old instincts rising, I just tell myself… ‘You are not gonna die stressed.'”

Before you go, check out our favorite affordable apps for mental health: