Olivia Munn Was Dealing with Postpartum Anxiety While Filming 'Tales of the Walking Dead'

Getty Images

Olivia Munn has been candid about her experiences with pregnancy and postpartum with her followers on social media. Most recently, she shared a clip of her performing some pretty physical martial arts moves on set of Tales of the Walking Dead (a spinoff of The Walking Dead series). The actress looks pretty badass in the video of her fighting off zombies with round kicks and avoiding their advances with quick defensive moves, but her caption reveals how she really felt at the time. (See: What You Should Know About Supporting Your Mental Health Before and During Pregnancy)

"I just had my baby and wasn't ready to go back to filming. Then Scott Gimple asked if I wanted to come kill some Walkers…. I was sore for a week but it was worth it," she wrote in the caption of her post. "(Also- THANK YOU SO MUCH to the entire cast and crew for making this such a nice experience for me. I had really bad postpartum anxiety and being just four months postpartum, I doubted myself a lot, but the producers, crew, my capoeira teacher, and stunt trainers were beyond wonderful. Thank You ❤️)," she added.

Postpartum anxiety is a form of severe anxiety, including all-consuming worry and irrational fears that you or your baby is in danger, that occurs in about 11 to 21 percent of new moms after giving birth, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It may be caused by changing hormones, lack of sleep, and feelings of responsibility for a newborn.

This type of anxiety can happen alongside postpartum depression, and although the two conditions are different, many signs and symptoms overlap, including disrupted sleep, heart palpitations, and feelings of fear, notes the Cleveland Clinic. However, the main difference is that postpartum anxiety causes feelings of worry, while postpartum depression causes feelings of sadness. It's common for people with postpartum depression to experience symptoms of postpartum anxiety, but not everyone with anxiety also deals with depression, adds the organization.

Related: The Pregnancy and Postpartum Mental Health Issues No One Is Talking About

This isn't the first time Munn has shared her experience with some of the negative, less-talked-about aspects of pregnancy and postpartum. Back in 2021, she opened up about struggling with her body image while pregnant. "'Oh if I am not handling maternity well, if I'm not looking chic and cool and effortless, and if my body is changing like this that means that I'm failing,'" she said in an interview at the time.

After giving birth to her son, Malcolm, Munn revealed the pressure she felt to get back to her pre-pregnancy body. "My body hasn't snapped back, but it made this little guy so I only have love for it. 💙," she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post in June of 2022. "The postpartum road is rough, but it's so worth it."

Related: Ashley Tisdale Opened Up About Her "Not Normal" Postpartum Experiences

With this in mind, it's impressive that Munn was able to get back to work filming for a physically demanding role just a few months after giving birth. What's even more notable, however, is her ability to share her experiences with her large fan base. Hopefully, in doing so, she's showing other new moms and moms-to-be that they're not alone in the emotional ups and downs of pregnancy and postpartum.