Dancing with the Stars’Sharna Burgessis opening up about her dark thoughts andmental healthstruggles since becoming a parent in hopes of getting others to start talking about the often difficult topic.
The professional dancer andBrian Austin Green,49, welcomed sonZane Walker,5 months, in June. The couple met through their business manager and subsequently were partnered together during season 30 of the Disney+ dance show.
Burgess admits she’s dealing with some extra anxiety that she’s trying hard to process since joining the motherhood club.
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Sharna Burgess and son Zane.Brian Austin Green Instagram
“When you come into motherhood and you’re not ready for those thoughts, you don’t know they’re coming because we don’t talk about this enough,” Burgess says. “You suddenly get hit with them and you think, ‘Is this just me? Is there something wrong with my brain, or am I really somehow seeing things that could possibly happen? Or am I making this stuff up? What is this?'”
Having good communication with loved ones has helped the mirrorball champion deal with her unwanted thoughts.
“Sharna is, thank God, really good at communicating,” adds Green, who also is father to sonsJourney River, 6,Bodhi Ransom, 8 andNoah Shannon, 10, with ex-wifeMegan Foxand sonKassius, 20, withVanessa Marcil.
Sharna Burgess with son Zane and Brian Austin Green’s sons Noah, Bodhi and Journey.Brian Austin Green Instagram
“So we have constant conversations just about little things. That she has a fear of tripping, walking down the stairs, or walking into doorways, it’s pretty normal, but it can be pretty consistent just in dealing with something that is so new and it’s a love that she’s never experienced,” he says.
Burgess has also learned healthy tools to help her cope when she’s having anxious feelings.
“But it doesn’t stop them from coming. It is still a very real thing, and as I hear, it never goes away when you head into parenthood,” she continues. “You’re always going to worry about those babies, and I relate to everyone. I think men and women, it’s not just a female-driven thing, that feel these intrusive thoughts and struggle with them daily.”
Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green.Christopher Willard/ABC/Getty
“Men are just so behind the ball as far as really taking care of themselves,” Green says. “And there’s this stigma and this thought of, if you’re a man, you’re supposed to be the rock, and you’re supposed to be the real emotionally and physically secure one and then hold everyone together and be the glue.”
For 24/7 free and confidential support, please call 988 to access the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S.
source: people.com
