Paige Spiranac has never been afraid to show the more personal side of her life, and her latest Instagram Story was another example of that. Instead of pretending she has anxiety completely figured out, Spiranac openly shared the routine she uses to get through her strenuous days.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
When a fan asked how she deals with anxiety, Spiranac listed seven things that help her. That includes working out every day, even if it is only a walk, and watching her diet because alcohol and sugar make her anxiety “significantly worse.” Therapy also helps her; she tries not to use anxiety as an excuse for how she treats people, steps away from her phone when she feels overwhelmed, journals to understand what is making her anxious, and uses exposure therapy by putting herself in uncomfortable situations until they feel easier.
“Easier said than done,” Spiranac wrote. “I still have days where my anxiety and OCD is really bad but I have less bad days now with a solid routine that works for me!”
The mention of OCD stands out because Spiranac has been very open about her anxiety and panic attacks over the years, but she has not always spoken as directly about OCD. That makes her latest admission feel even more personal, especially as she acknowledges that there are still days when both her anxiety and OCD can become difficult to manage.
Spiranac has been open about dealing with social anxiety and asthma since she was a child. Her struggles also followed her into competitive golf, where the pressure of scores eventually became too much, forcing her to step away from professional golf in 2016, just a year after turning pro. Looking back, Spiranac said, “I equated my score to my self-worth,” adding that competitive golf “really beat me up emotionally.”
Spiranac has been transparent with her fans about her mental health. In 2019, she posted a 16-minute YouTube video about her anxiety and received plenty of support from people who could relate to what she was going through. Over the years, she leaned on talk therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy to help her understand the deeper issues behind her struggles on the golf course. For Spiranac, it was about more than trying to fix what was happening during a round. She wanted to understand what was happening in her head in the first place.
Yet, Spiranac continues to struggle with anxiety. In early 2025, she informed her followers that she had been “in a bit of a funk” and had stepped back from posting because her anxiety had “taken control.” She said she was overthinking everything and needed some time away from social media.
Later that year, Spiranac faced another difficult period after cheating allegations at The Internet Invitational, an event co-hosted by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports. She said she received “tens of thousands of death threats” and described the online abuse as the worst she had faced in a decade. She eventually stepped away from social media to protect her mental health.
But Spiranac has also made it clear that her story is not only about the bad days. In another Instagram Q&A, she said she had “never felt more confident and secure and at peace” with her life, both personally and professionally. That was a big change from how she described her earlier years, when she felt “painfully insecure” and relied heavily on content and followers for validation.
That honesty has also pushed Spiranac to speak more about mental health in golf. She has encouraged young golfers not to let their scores decide how they feel about themselves or their worth. She has also worked with the Cybersmile Foundation, an anti-cyberbullying nonprofit, since 2017.
Spiranac’s latest Instagram Story fits that pattern. She is not claiming she has found a perfect solution to anxiety and OCD. Instead, she is sharing the habits that help her get through the tough days, and perhaps the most honest part is her admission that even with all those habits, some days are still hard.