Yahoo Movies Kelly Ripa Shares She Has a 'Severe Case of Social Anxiety Disorder' in New Memoir
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty
Kelly Ripa shares that she's dealt with anxiety throughout her adult life.
The Live! With Kelly and Ryan co-host, 51, is known for her lively on-screen personality but in an excerpt from her new book, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories, she detailed her mental health struggles and how they impacted her everyday life.
"I have a severe case of social anxiety disorder, and I tend to say awkward or inappropriate things when under duress," Ripa wrote. "People think that because I'm an extrovert on television I am one in real life. Surprise. That's why they call it acting."
In the book, Ripa recalled seeking therapy after she believed she was suffering from depression but her therapist suggested that her job at the time was making her "miserable."
Ripa told her therapist, "I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. I almost always wake up crying at the thought of having to go to work. I feel like I'm in physical pain. My hair hurts. I have no energy at all. I'm very easily distracted. When I'm playing with my kids, I feel like I've forgotten to do something at work, and when I'm at work, I feel like I've forgotten to do something for my kids. I cry in the shower. I cry myself to sleep. I cry backstage. I sometimes want to cry in the middle of the show. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe."
RELATED: Kelly Ripa Gets Candid About Everything — from Marriage and Sex to Botox and Regis
In this week's PEOPLE cover story, Ripa explained how much therapy has helped her, specifically with unpacking the years of anxiety she detailed in her book.
"I learned that there's a certain amount of narcissism that is necessary to survive, healthy narcissism. And I was like, what does that even mean? That's an oxymoron," she tells PEOPLE. "And [my therapist] was like, it's actually not. Healthy narcissism allows you to live, make safe choices, breathe, those sort of things. And she's like, that's a good thing to have. But thinking that you can single handedly fix everything, that's where it delves into, you're not that important."
"My therapist really was so smart and still is so smart and taught me that I'm not that important in the grand scheme of things. That no is the healthiest word out there really when it comes to decision making," Ripa continued. "And she really taught me just how to be a better self advocate, how to think of things in a different way. How to really, truly understand that when encountering somebody that is toxic, it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. And once you start thinking about that, it really reframes the picture for you."
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
For more about Kelly Ripa pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
