The Flash's Grant Gustin Says He Struggles With Impostor Syndrome and Anxiety

The Flash star Grant Gustin is getting candid about his struggles with anxiety. During a recent appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Gustin addressed his relationship with the entertainment industry over the years, and revealed that he's struggled with Impostor syndrome for years. (For those who might not be familiar, Impostor syndrome refers to a psychological feeling of doubting your own accomplishments or worrying about being exposed as a fraud.) Gustin, who plays Barry Allen/The Flash on the long-running The CW series, revealed that his family has helped him recognize and begin to come to terms with those feelings.

"I think one thing I really struggle with - me and my wife were actually talking about it recently, and me and my mom have this conversation all of the time, she's the one who really pointed out to me that I have Impostor syndrome, for sure," Gustin explained. "I don't think I ever deserve anything that I get, or that I'm not worthy or I didn't work hard enough for it, or someone else worked harder or was more talented. That's something I struggle with all the time, just being okay with where I'm at, and feel like I deserved it or earned it. That's one thing that really makes me feel lucky all the time, I don't know how I got to where I'm at, like almost ever."

"Even when I was doing West Side [Story], I should have been a junior in college at the time, and all my friends still work." Gustin continued. "And I was living all of our dreams, and doing the Broadway tour of West Side Story. Every day was like 'Why me, man? Why am I so lucky?' And I've kind of, every step of the way, I've felt like that."

Gustin also revealed that anxiety has been "ever-present" in his life since he was a child, something that he has had to deal with in his marriage.

"Since really young, probably four or five, I've dealt with anxiety and depression. I had really weird, anxious-type dreams as a really young kid. I don't want to get too into it, but before we got married, we started doing couple's therapy, just to be ready for marriage before. There was really nothing going on in the marriage, and then all kinds of things, for both of us, started to come to the surface, and it's good for us as a couple and as individuals. I knew I had always dealt with anxiety, but getting pinpointed ideas about where things started, and why you were feeling that way. Anxiety's ever-present in my life, for sure."

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.