Reese Witherspoon believes anxiety fuelled her success

Reese Witherspoon has explained how her anxiety fuelled her success.

In a new cover interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine, the Hollywood star reflected on mental health, menopause and her incredible career success.

Witherspoon has battled anxiety and perfectionism throughout her life, but insisted it has helped shape her career.

"I was probably successful because I had so much anxiety. They go hand in hand," she shared. "I had pressured myself to extreme levels to show up at work in a perfect way. We all now know - perfect is not attainable. It's not sustainable. I stressed myself out in service of my job, and it got me really, really far. I'm rewarded for my anxiety and perfectionism."

However, with Witherspoon set to turn 50 in March next year, she is trying to put less pressure on herself both personally and professionally.

She explained, "But I'm getting older, and am starting to relax into the idea that I'm enough. I mean, I've had an abundance of good fortune, great work opportunities and worked with some of the greatest people on Earth."

During the interview, Witherspoon also praised her mother - who was a paediatric nurse - for being so open with her about mental health.

She recalled, "My mom never talked about mental health in a way that made it feel untouchable, unspeakable or taboo; she was almost clinical about it."

Elsewhere, Witherspoon revealed how her outspoken attitude is helping her navigate the menopause, as she praised fellow Hollywood stars for "normalising" the once-taboo subject.

Touching upon her own menopause symptoms, the 49-year-old actress added, "Oh, I'll say the wrong word or the wrong name with extreme confidence. We all go through it and have to be patient with each other. I'm always grateful for women who normalise it - like Gwyneth (Paltrow) and Naomi Watts. I benefit from the research they do."