Sharna Burgess recently got very candid about some “super dark thoughts” she’s had to deal with since she and Brian Austin Green welcomed son Zane in June.
The “Dancing with the Stars” pro opened up about her struggle with these thoughts and some of the tools she’s learned to help cope with them. Now, she’s explaining why she wanted to share the difficult experience publicly.
She said she “felt called to share” her personal story because while she was going through it, she found herself asking, “Is it just me? Is it just me that has these [thoughts]? Is there something wrong with my brain? Am I heading into postpartum depression?”
It got so bad at one point, Burgess recalled starting to have intrusive thoughts that either Green wouldn’t make it home or her mother wouldn’t make it to her house after leaving. A panic attack triggered by these thoughts was the breaking point that told her, “I absolutely need to see someone about this because it’s escalating.”
Now, she and Green have partnered with Movember’s Mental Health Campaign, which is what helped her to understand how normal these intrusive thoughts can be, and assured her she’s definitely not alone with them.
“I realized that every mom goes through this in some degree and then I also read that 94 percent of people — men and women — have intrusive thoughts,” she told ET.
“It’s a real term, intrusive thoughts, and whether that is you don’t deserve that job or to the way more dramatic end, more violent versions of those thoughts, everybody needs to understand they’re not alone,” she continued. “That these things are not singular. It is not just you in your own world of horrible thoughts. These are people experiencing the same thing.”
In the wake of the suicide of Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Burgess and Green took to their Instagram to continue their mission of spreading awareness of the importance of mental health and wellbeing.
“Sometimes it can be hard to ask for help, especially for men who may have been taught that talking about your feelings is a sign of weakness, which couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Burgess captioned their video.
“We want you to know, you are loved, you are seen, and it will get better. You can find the light again I promise you that,” she continued. “You are not alone, there are so many people feeling what you’re feeling and there are so many ready to help you find your way.”
She shared the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 in the U.S. and urged anyone with friends or loved ones struggling to look to Movember.com/mentalhealth for helpful resources to help have those important conversations, or how to spot more subtle signs of distress.
In her initial post opening up about her own dark thoughts, Burgess shared some of the tools she learned to help navigate her own mental health when unwanted and intrusive thoughts invade.
“1. Deep cleansing breaths taking in as much air as you can and hold as you say ‘I release all thoughts that do not serve me’ then control that breathe out imagining those words and the feeling they bring leaving you. Repeat repeat,” she wrote. “2. When I need a quicker fix I physically swipe my hand in front of my eyes and say ‘no’ and imagine that image being destroyed and gone. I shake it off and call in a memory that I can’t wait to make with Zane. All of the firsts that he has coming.”
“These are just 2, and they help me tremendously so I hope that they help you too. I have more if you want me to share xx,” Burgess added. “You’re doing great mama, remember that 🤍.”
Burgess and Green began dating in October 2020. The two announced they were expecting their first child together in February 2022, and Burgess gave birth to Zane in July.
Green shares three children with ex-wife Megan Fox — Noah, 9, Bodhi, 8, and Journey, 5, — as well as older son Kassius with ex Vanessa Marcil.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (just dial 988) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.
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