Hilary Swank has learned to trust her instincts.
''Am I the only one feeling this?''
The two-time Oscar winning actress admits she was very insecure when she was growing up and feels more confident since turning 40 in July.
Asked what she advice she would give her younger self, the 'Million Dollar Baby' star said: "To not be as scared, to trust my instincts. We know what is best for us - we innately know. But I was scared to trust my instincts, and less strong because of it.
'We can be paralysed by fear, and I'd like to think of myself as someone who steps into fear and into the sharp corners. And yet, we all have our weaknesses, and there are areas where I was afraid to trust my instincts, and I don't want to do that anymore."
The 'Homesman' star, who is dating French real estate broker Laurent Fleury, also feels "less alone" as she gets older.
She explained to Modern Luxury's Manhattan magazine: "I just turned 40, and as you grow and have hindsight, you feel less alone. When you're in your twenties and thirties, you feel like, ''Am I the only one feeling this?'' And in your late thirties to forties you start feeling that we're all going through something, and the more we share our experiences, the less alone we are."
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