Eva Longoria Opens Up About Battling Extreme Anxiety Post Pregnancy

Motherhood can be one of the most challenging and enriching journeys of all time. Eva Longoria agrees but also reveals that her anxiety piqued post her son’s birth.

"Everything affects me now -- the news and articles and climate change -- everything scares me,” said Longoria, speaking of her 17-month-old toddler Santiago Enrique Baston. “And my anxiety has just gone through the roof, going, 'Oh my God, I have to leave the world a better place!' So it's made my philanthropic work more intense. It's brought an insane intensity. I'm like, 'We have to save the world! Oh my God!' And I didn't expect that.”

While the actress always made philanthropy a huge part of her life, motherhood has made the avenue a lot important to her. Longoria's foundation, which goes by her name, was launched in 2012. The non-profit organization has empowered 23,000 Hispanic and Latina girls in the United States and Mexico by offering financial aid to themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship by focusing on STEM, college scholarships, mentorship, parent engagement, microloans, and business training.

Anxiety can be debilitating. But, Longoria believes it can be empowering if channeled the right way. She also believes that in order to make a difference, one needn’t necessarily be rich or famous. In fact, all that matters is the will to make a difference and perseverance to keep at it, irrespective of which level you’re operating from.

Longoria’s grateful for everything and to be living her best life at this juncture. But, she also has a desire for Christmas this season— a Japanese toilet! “I want one of those fancy toilets, you know those Japanese toilets? I want one of those,” Longoria said. "He was talking about it, and I was like, 'I want one of those!' That might be on my Christmas list. It's a good one,” she added.

Recently, Longoria grabbed eyebrows when she revealed that she was left with “no choice” but to start work just two months after giving birth to Santiago Baston. "And I remember freaking out, going, 'How am I gonna do this movie?!'" she said before she came to the conclusion that she’d go ahead nevertheless, "'We're gonna do this. We're taking the family, we're taking everybody to Australia, and we're gonna do this. And you guys are gonna be there, and you're gonna support me, and you're gonna be happy, and you're gonna like it! And they did," she added, with a laugh.