Vicky Pattison shares tearful selfie about her anxiety: 'I struggle to push toxic thoughts away'

Vicky Pattison has candidly opened up about her anxiety saying she sometimes struggles "to push any self doubt, toxic thoughts & criticism away".

The former Geordie Shore star, 35, shared a teary-eyed selfie with over five million of her Instagram followers, explaining how burnout and hormones make it harder for her to overcome how she feels.

"There are a few things that exacerbate my anxiety," her caption reads.

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"When I'm tired, overworked & just not looking after myself properly I don't feel as though I have the energy to fight off the intrusive dark thoughts. I also just feel like I'm more susceptible to that negative self talk when I'm low & burnt out.

"Then there's that week before your period where my hormones are just all over the place & chaos reigns throughout my body & mind as if I have no control at all over my sensibilities. It's as if my body is not my own at all."

She adds, "Today both of these joyous occasions have coincided (sort of like a full moon & mercury being in retrograde all at the same time) & that negativity narrative in my head that feeds my anxiety has just become impossible to ignore.

"I struggle to push any self doubt, toxic thoughts & criticism away and instead it just breeds making me feel worse & worse until it completely consumes me & I know I'm not the only one who feels like way."

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Pattison says she's been speaking to more and more women feeling the effects of busy lifestyles and "trying to be everything to everyone all the time", describing it as "too much".

After holding back from writing the post for a while, ironically due to her anxiety, she has finally felt able to open up. She urges the importance of making time for yourself and self love and compassion as "those dark clouds are never going to clear unless you do something about them & put yourself first".

"Do something that brings you joy, get out of your head & into your body, do something physical, get into nature, read a book, watch your favourite show, complete a random act of kindness, whatever it is that works for you... do that," says Pattison.

"And then just wait for the sunbeams to start breaking through those clouds."

Her fans showed their appreciation in the comments, expressing how it has helped them feel seen.

"Thank you for normalising this, you are a wonderful human," wrote one.

"This explains exactly how I feel," said another

"I really needed this today I’ve been suffering from horrific anxiety and panic for months now and leaving the house is such a chore. It’s nice not to feel like you’re fighting it alone sometimes x," a further fan commented.

Another also asked, "Vicky, have you looked into PMDD…?", while The PMDD Collective itself commented, "There needs to be more noise made about the impacts hormones can have on mental health."

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This isn't the first time Pattison, engaged to partner Ercan Ramadan, has opened up about mental health, having made the documentary Vicky Pattison: Alcohol, Dad and Me last year.

"I've always worried, because I'm like him in a lot of ways, and I was aware that I had an addictive personality," she said in an interview with Sky's Beth Rigby at the time.

"I do everything to extremes. If I'm going to the gym I'm going five days a week, If I'm going to party, I want to be the last one standing. There was never any balance."

But after eventually leaving Geordie Shore in 2014 due to being "unhappy, out of control", she has since carved out a successful career, currently hosting her podcast The Secret To..., releasing her book The Secret to Happy in January 2022, winning I'm A Celebrity in 2015, and more.

Vicky regularly uses her platform to talk about mental health, including her ongoing personal battle with her mind as well as helping to lift others up. "If your mind is playing games with you today, remember that you're doing your best. Take deep breaths and remember that bad days don't last," she shared earlier this month.

Watch: Vicky Pattison opens up on fears of inheriting alcoholism and impact on future children