Kendall Jenner opens up about social anxiety

Kendall Jenner said that she’s no different from others who have been struggling with mental health. She's been in the public eye since she was young, after all.

In the first episode of Vogue’s “Open Minded” series, Kendall revealed that as early as eight years old, she’s experienced having the need to go to a hospital because of her attacks.

“I’ve had times where I feel like I need to be rushed to the hospital because I think that my heart’s failing and I can’t breathe and I need someone to help me,” she said.

“Sometimes, parts of my body will go numb and it can be really intense and scary,” she continued, adding that being “overworked” might have led her to that situation.

On people saying that she has nothing to worry about given her lifestyle, meanwhile, the American model said that she is still human.

“I’ll never sit here and say that I’m not fortunate. I know I live a very privileged amazing life. I’m a very blessed girl, but it’s not always happy,” she said, pointing at her head.

“I’m still a human being at the end of the day and no matter what someone has or doesn’t have, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have real feelings,” she added.

According to clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula, people with social anxiety tend to think that they’re always being criticized or judged for the things they do.

“A socially anxious person feels like they’re doing judgeable things or that they’re making people uncomfortable [just] by being there,” she said.

“Anxiety is like a magnifying glass and it magnifies only the bad things so in essence, what we’re trying to do is put it to being a regular lens,” she added.

Dr. Durvasula clarified that the physical sensations brought about by anxiety comes from how a person thinks.

“You’re going down a rabbit hole,” she said. “It’s all a miscommunication in the brain. You change [your brain], you change [the body].”

With the world slowly opening up from lockdown, Dr. Durvasula said that anxiety, at some point, kept some safe.

“When you’e right in that sweet spot, it’s a little bit of a superpower because it actually helps you keep yourself and others safe,” she said.

Dr. Durvasula gave Kendall two pieces of advice.

“Prepare. Be on time or be a little bit early. You’re less frenzy when you prepare. Learn what you’re getting into,” the expert said.

“Get good feedback from your audience. Uncross your arms, make eye contact and smile. When you do that, you disarm everyone,” she added.

“Open Minded” is a four-part series featuring Kendall Jenner who will be speaking to mental health experts on the causes and effects of anxiety.

—Franchesca Viernes/LA, GMA News