Valerie Bertinelli was shaking and crying uncontrollably in a video that she shared to social media.
In a sense, nothing was wrong. Nothing immediate.
For years, the actor has suffered anxiety attacks that send her body into a state of panic.
This time, she recorded herself shaking — to let followers know that they are not alone.
Valerie Bertinelli shared a video in which she was shaking uncontrollably
On Sunday, November 17, actress Valerie Bertinelli took to her Instagram page to share a video of her anxiety attack.
The 64-year-old actor, known for One Day At A Time, Touched By An Angel, Hot In Cleveland, and more, wanted to raise mental health awareness. A lot of people do not know what these sorts of attacks can look like.
“I’ve sat on this post for a day because it’s incredibly vulnerable and that’s always scary to share,” she wrote in the caption. The video itself showed her hand trembling.
“But I’m posting because we’re all out here doing our best having a human experience,” Valerie Bertinelli wrote alongside her shaking hand. “And,” she continued, “none of us want to feel like we’re alone in that.”
She went on to detail that she had suffered a “really bad anxiety attack.” This, she explained, had not happened in “a very, very long time.”
Bertinelli shared that she had been “shaking” and “weeping uncontrollably” while her heart “felt like it was pounding out of my chest.”
Anxiety attacks are not new to Valerie Bertinelli
One of the sick twists of this kind of anxiety is that it can seem to go away entirely … until it comes back, catching you by surprise.
“As I’m going through the actual attack […] I almost disassociate and am focused solely on calming down and finding any road to a more relaxed and peaceful body,” Valerie Bertinelli explained. She admitted that she “can’t quite seem to calm all the way yet.”
The actor detailed how her “body goes into overdrive” and her brain is “overthinking and catastrophizing.”
For most, catastrophizing is worrying that your friend is dead when they’re merely running a few minutes late. In this case, it’s her entire body going into panic mode — a response over which she has “no control.”
Bertinelli mused: “Part of me is fascinated by what the human body is capable of when our feelings can get in the way or override any reasonable thought.”
She added: “And another part of me is just curious on how all of this happens.”
‘You’re not alone’
At the end of her caption under the video of her shaking, Valerie Bertinelli asked if anyone could relate to her “extreme anxiety attacks.” She also reminded her followers: “You’re not alone.”
She’s right. Many people have these experiences.
As for why … simply put, sometimes people’s bodies go into crisis mode without an emergency context. Whether someone has cPTSD for childhood trauma or is still processing a car accident, their body might surge with panic. In Valerie Bertinelli’s case, that means shaking and sobbing until the “false alarm” concludes.
