Jennifer Lawrence Acts Away Social Anxiety

Jennifer Lawrence is one of the more appealing personalities in show business today, in part because of her candor and easy, open rapport with press and fans alike. So for many it might come as something of a shock to hear that she struggled with social anxiety as a school-age child. Lawrence’s mother, the actress confides to a French magazine, “always told me there was like a light in me, a spark that inspired me constantly. When I entered school, the light went out.”

It isn’t uncommon for kids with psychiatric or learning disorders to start having trouble as soon as they go to school. And as new struggles surface, self-esteem often plummets. For many kids, the key to recovering their confidence is to have an experience that instills a sense of mastery—a reminder that a child is in charge of her trajectory. It should come as no shock that for Lawrence that experience was stepping on stage.

“I finally found a way to open the door to a universe that I understood, that was good for me and made me happy,” she tells Madame Figaro, via E! Online. “Because I felt capable, whereas before I felt worthless.”

To be clear, not everyone is destined for Hollywood, and not everyone has access to transformative talent. But still, her message rings true: With effort and support, any kid can thrive. She gives credit where it’s due, too. Lawrence says that her mother fought for her to be an actress because she “saw the change that was taking place in me. She saw my anxieties disappear.”

This comment on the article neatly sums up the power of a boldface name to transfer some of that hard-earned confidence to those in need:

“she had social anxiety? i found hope.”