Reese Witherspoon’s Daughter Ava Phillippe Details “Intense” Struggle With Anxiety

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe’s daughter Ava Phillippe shared how she has coped with anxiety throughout her life.

By Lindsay Weinberg Oct 03, 2023 1:45 AMTags
Watch: Ava Phillippe Discusses Her Sexuality: "Gender Is Whatever"

Ava Phillippe is telling no big little lies about her mental health.

The influencer—whose parents are Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe—got candid on her longtime struggle with anxiety during an Instagram Q&A on Sept. 30. 

"I've dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember," the 24-year-old noted, "and it was especially intense for me as a kid & teenager." 

When asked how she deals with the condition, Ava acknowledged that "there is no one solution that works for everyone" but shared a few tricks she's learned that have helped her during stressful times. 

"Don't invalidate your feelings," she advised. "You have every right to feel however you do, even if it seems weird to others, & being hard on yourself won't help you feel better or find a solution."

Ava suggested taking deep breaths—"a few more than you think you need"—and checking in with your five senses. 

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Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth’s Family Photo Album

"Note 1-3 things you can smell, touch, hear, etc… in the moment," she wrote. "& remember: this feeling will pass, even if you have to ride it out for awhile."

And after finding ways to cope with anxiety, Ava continues to work on herself in other ways, confessing that her biggest "bad habit" is picking at her skin.

"It's just so tempting for some reason," she said, "but I think I've been better about not doing that as I've gotten older."

Instagram

Besides opening up about mental health, Ava also shared how studying social welfare at UC Berkeley has shaped how she sees the world today.

"Loved this major and got to take so many fascinating classes on various social/political movements, systemic inequities, psychology, & the practice of social work," she explained. "Even though I didn't end up becoming a social worker, I still think what I learned in this major informs a lot of how I move through the world and my perspective on some major issues."

Scroll on to see more photos of Ava and her lookalike mom through the years.

Summer Vibes

While enjoying a family summer vacation, Reese Witherspoon and Ava Phillippe posed for a selfie and proved just how beautiful their bond is. 

Sleigh Bells Ring

The Big Little Lies star joked she "had to beg" Ava to rock matching Draper James holiday sweaters. 

Bundled Up

Reese and her mini-me daughter served some fresh winter fashion in January of this year in puffer coats.

High Altitude

The two ski bunnies snapped this cute selfie together before hitting the slopes.

Back in Black

The two looked like mirror images of one another in black dresses and a red lip in a post on Reese's Instagram in December of last year.

Lunch Date

"Lunch with my girl," Reese captioned this cute candid of the two enjoying delicious-looking salads.

Big Little Cuties

Talk about seeing double! The duo hits the red carpet for season two of Reese's show, Big Little Lies, in May 2019.

Birthday Wishes

The duo celebrates Reese's 43rd birthday! Ava takes to Instagram to send a sweet message to her momma, saying, "You are such a generous, conscientious, and passionately kind person, and I am so blessed to bear witness to your light and love each and every day!"

Twinning

In October 2018, Reese and her daughter stepped out at a gala in sexy little black dresses and they were totally twinning.

Premiere Partners

Clearly, Phillippe inherited her mom's killer, blonde locks and power stance.

Smiling Style

Witherspoon enlisted her daughter for Draper James' spring collection in 2018 and if her goal was to make us do a double take it definitely worked.

Christmas Cuties

As the duo celebrated Christmas in 2017 they looked cheerful in red.

Blondes in Black

We know it's hard, but if you look closely these two look related. Oh wait, that's not right...they look like identical twins!

Little Black Heels

In October 2017, the pair posed for photos in similar, but different ensembles. Notice the wavy locks, peep-toed heels and signature natural makeup looks both ladies rocked.

Red Carpet Ready

If it weren't for the Oscar winner's red lipstick, it would be quite the challenge telling these two apart.

Smirking Sisters

It's clear Phillippe inherited her mama's signature grin. 

Flower Power

Another day, another sweet mother-daughter snap of the actress and her lookalike daughter.

Doing a Double Take

Yup, some genetic wizardy was definitely involved here. 

All in the Family

There's no question these two are related, but Phillippe also looks a lot like her dad, Ryan Phillippe, here.

Posing on Point

This mother-daughter duo resemble each other down to their shoe choice. 

Mirror Images

Even their side profiles match!

Bronzed Beauties

Makeup free and fabulous is something both of these ladies are on a regular basis.

Girls' Night

In October 2015, Witherspoon and Phillippe had a fun girls' night and proved once again that they are birds of a feather.

Pastel Pals

Everything about this Mother's Day post makes us happy.

Ride or Die

If you've ever wanted to see Witherspoon with blue locks then look no further!

Mamma & Me

Is it just us, or are we looking at two baby Reeses here?

Mommy's Girl

From their piercing blue eyes to their platinum blonde locks, it was clear from day one that Phillippe was her mom's mini me.

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