Valerie Bertinelli shows video of 'really bad' health incident: 'I'm doing my best'
Valerie Bertinelli is opening up about a recent anxiety attack she suffered.
The celebrity chef, reflecting on the "really bad" attack, said that it was a "scary" thing to share.
"I've sat on this post for a day because it's incredibly vulnerable," she said on Instagram Sunday, captioning a video of her hand shaking. "But I'm posting because we're all out here doing our best having a human experience and none of us want to feel like we're alone in that."
Bertinelli, 64, said that she hadn't had an anxiety attack to this extent in a "very, very long time," adding that it came hours after she was "weeping uncontrollably," "couldn't stop shaking" and her "heart felt like it was pounding out" of her chest.
In the video, she's heard saying: "I'm doing my best. The after-effects of an anxiety attack (expletive) suck."
Anxiety attacks are intense feelings of worry that can cause physical symptoms such as shaking, nausea, rapid heartbeat and chest pain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The actress said her anxiety attacks these days are "infrequent" so this recent one took her "a little bit by surprise."
The "One Day at a Time" star explained what causes her attacks, including "overthinking and catastrophizing," and her tools for calming herself down, such as meditation and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, the latter a technique that involves moving your eyes in a certain way. She also asked her followers about the tools they use.
Anxiety symptoms: What to understand about the condition and how to calm anxiety.
Her followers assured her she was not alone in her experience, including Rosie O'Donnell, who wrote to Bertinelli: "totally relate - call me anytime."
Bertinelli has been open about her physical and mental health, announcing in the spring that she was taking a social media pause following a hectic book tour for her cookbook "Indulge."
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"The last six or so weeks have been…a LOT," Bertinelli wrote alongside an Instagram selfie in May. "And while I am incredibly grateful for all your support for my book and everyone I've had the good fortune to meet, this here introvert in extrovert's clothing is in need of a mental health break."
Bertinelli continued: "I'm good. Honest. Taking a little social media cleanse/detox and a mental health break is a good thing, and I'm grateful I’m at a place in my life where I'm aware enough to know when I'm overwhelmed and mentally/emotionally exhausted."
Contributing: Edward Segarra
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Valerie Bertinelli opens up about 'really bad' anxiety attack