Emma Stone shares monster painting from child therapy sessions

Emma Stone has shared a monster painting she drew as a nine-year-old as part of her therapy treatment for anxiety.

The La La Land star has previously spoken about her battle with anxiety, crediting her acting career for helping her to manage the disorder. And in an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday (19Sep17), the 28-year-old actress, who is currently promoting new movie Battle of the Sexes, revealed she began therapy aged seven to help her cope with panic attacks.

Stephen then presented her with a drawing she did at the age of nine as part of her therapy. The self-portrait shows Emma standing next to a small green monster underneath the words, "I'm bigger than my anxiety".

"This is me I guess. This is anxiety, it's a little green monster who looks like a uterus with ovaries. I didn't mean for it to be hormonal," she explained.

"I was nine and I was in therapy. I was a very, very, very anxious child and I had a lot of panic attacks and I benefited in a big way from therapy. I started at 7...(Acting) and improv helped me so much. I still have anxiety to this day."

Emma has since become an advocate for those struggling with the condition, and earlier this year she contributed to a video for Child Mind Institute's Speak Up For Kids campaign.

"I truly, as a kid, did not think I would be able to ever move away from home or to be away from people that I had separation anxiety with," she shared, explaining how therapists and various treatments helped her learn to cope, and feel comfortable enough to become independent.

"I've been able to manage that with great therapists and great cognitive bahavioral tools - meditation and lots of things.

"But sometimes when it's happening, when I'm in a phase of real turmoil or the anxiety is very strong, it feels like the anxiety is never going to end, and it does," she added.