Sharna Burgess Speaks About Having 'Dark Thoughts' After Welcoming Baby With Brian Austin Green
KEY POINTS
- Sharna Burgess first opened up about having "intrusive mom thoughts" on Instagram last week
- The "DWTS" pro she could not stop thinking of "all the things that could go wrong" after giving birth to her son in June
- She said she sought help after her "dark thoughts" began involving boyfriend Brian Austin Green
Sharna Burgess is getting candid about having "super dark thoughts" after becoming a mom for the first time.
Last week, the former "Dancing With the Stars" pro revealed via Instagram that she could not stop thinking of "all the things that could go wrong" and "all the ways I or life could accidentally hurt my baby" following the birth of her and boyfriend Brian Austin Green's son, Zane, in June.
She listed several examples of the "intrusive mom thoughts" that crept into her mind, such as "falling down stairs holding him, sickness [and] a car accident," but she said she's since "learned to tame" those thoughts.
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Burgess explained why she decided to open up on social media about having "super dark thoughts" postpartum.
"I felt called to share that because I went through the experience of thinking, 'Is it just me? Is it just me that has these [thoughts?] Is there something wrong with my brain? Am I heading into postpartum depression?'" Burgess told the outlet. "I would ask, 'Is this normal?' and I did get assured by my family, by [Brian] that these sort of thoughts are normal."
She added that when her thoughts began involving Green and her mom, and Burgess experienced a panic attack, she realized that it was time to seek help.
"I got to a point where I was having thoughts of Brian not making it home from work or my mom not making it back to her house from leaving our house," she recalled. "And I had one panic attack and that's when I went, 'I absolutely need to see someone about this because it's escalating."
Burgess and Green have since partnered with Movember's Mental Health Campaign, which offers 24/7 free and confidential support to those who dial 988.
The dancer shared that working with the organization helped her realize she wasn't alone in her predicament. She said she's learned that every mom goes through the experience to some degree and that 94% of individuals — men and women — have intrusive thoughts.
"It's a real term, intrusive thoughts, and whether that is you don't deserve that job or to the way more dramatic end, more violent versions of those thoughts, everybody needs to understand they're not alone," she explained. "That these things are not singular. It is not just you in your own world of horrible thoughts. These are people experiencing the same thing."
Burgess and the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star welcomed their first baby together, Zane Walker, on June 28.
Green is also dad to Journey River, 5, Bodhi Ransom, 8 and Noah Shannon, 9, with ex Megan Fox as well as 20-year-old Kassius with Vanessa Marcil.
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