Happy Place

Will Poulter on OCD and intrusive thoughts: “It’s never easy but it gets easier!”

Mar 24, 2025

In this illuminating conversation, actor Will Poulter opens up about his journey with OCD and mental health, sharing the insights he's gained over the years. He emphasizes that coping can get easier with time and the importance of practicing self-compassion. Will discusses the common struggles of intrusive thoughts and the need for personalized approaches to mental health care. He also reflects on navigating fame while managing anxiety, and the powerful role of therapy and open conversations in overcoming mental health challenges.

01:02:00

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Will Poulter

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Quick takeaways

Will Poulter shares his journey with OCD and anxiety, emphasizing that coping with mental health challenges can gradually become easier over time.

He highlights the importance of personal development and self-acceptance, illustrating how societal pressures can affect one's identity and self-worth.

Poulter discusses how cooking has become a therapeutic outlet for him, fostering emotional connections and enhancing his mental well-being through creativity.

Deep dives

Overcoming Mental Health Challenges

Will Poulter discusses his early experiences with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety, revealing how these conditions shaped his thoughts and self-perception. He reflects on feeling overwhelmed by the constant need for validation and worrying about others' opinions. Despite the challenges, he expresses gratitude for his mental health struggles, as they have deepened his appreciation for happier moments in life. This perspective highlights the often overlooked silver linings associated with facing mental health issues.

Intro

4min

Comfortable Choices and Life Reflections

3min

Navigating Identity and Self-Acceptance

17min

Navigating Fame and Mental Health

4min

Navigating OCD and Mental Health

23min

The Responsibility of Portraying Mental Health in Entertainment

2min

The Therapeutic Power of Laughter and Culinary Passion

3min

The Art of Pastry and Personal Growth

7min

Reflections on a Fascinating Guest and Exciting Announcements

2min

Coping with mental health conditions is never easy, but it does get easier; that’s what actor Will Poulter has learnt through his own experiences with OCD, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts.

In this chat with Fearne, Will explains how OCD has manifested for him ever since he was a young kid. He also talks through why finding reasons to be grateful for the lessons mental health conditions have taught you can be helpful.

If you’re honest with yourself... would you give yourself or others more grace if they had to take time off work because they’d broken their leg, as opposed to because their mental health was poor? Fearne and Will unpack that one, as well as discussing the importance of personalisation in looking after our brains. The same medication, meditation practice, or diet, is going to affect us all differently.

Plus, do you constantly worry that you’ve said the wrong thing and pissed someone off? Fearne and Will have been there and offer their advice for overcoming that spiral...

You can see Will in UK cinemas in Death of a Unicorn from April 4th, and Warfare from April 18th.

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