jennifer lopez ben affleck© Photo: Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez details her battle with panic attacks - 'I felt like I couldn't move'

The star opened up in an emotional message

US Deputy Editor
July 12, 2022

Jennifer Lopez always appears the epitome of cool, calm and collected, but the superstar felt like she was spiraling out of control in the past. 

The Jenny From the Block hitmaker opened up in her newsletter, On the JLo, and revealed she suffered serious panic attacks in her late 20s. 

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She wrote: "There was a time in my life where I used to sleep 3 to 5 hours a night. I'd be on set all day and in the studio all night and doing junkets and filming videos on the weekends. 

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"I was in my late 20s and I thought I was invincible. Until one day, I was sitting in a trailer, and all the work and the stress it brought with it, coupled with not enough sleep to recuperate mentally, caught up with me."

Her revelation about her past comes at a happy and healthy time in her life as she's supported by her fiance, Ben Affleck, and her children, Emme and Max.

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But before they were in her life, Jennifer said she ran herself into the ground. "I went from feeling totally normal to thinking about what I needed to do that day and all of a sudden I felt as if I couldn't move. I was completely frozen," she said. 

Jennifer said she was having panic attacks before she began prioritizing her health 

The physical symptoms "started to scare me and the fear compounded itself. Now I know it was a classic panic attack brought on by exhaustion, but I had never even heard the term at the time."

JLo was frightened and concerned that she was seriously, mentally unwell. 

"My security guard on set came in and picked me up and drove me to the doctor," the mom-of-two continued. "By the time I got there, I could at least speak again and I was so terrified I thought I was losing my mind. I asked the doctor if I was going crazy.

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He said, 'No, you're not crazy. You need sleep...get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, don't drink caffeine, and make sure you get your workouts in if you're going to do this much work.'"

Jennifer has the support of her fiance Ben Affleck and her children 

This was the turning point when Jennifer realized just how important looking after herself was. 

For decades she's made her health her priority and knows the daily workouts are about more than just looking good - she has to feel good too. 

"I realized how serious the consequences could be of ignoring what my body and mind needed to be healthy," she continued. "And that's where my journey to wellness began."

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