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Carson Daly opens up about generalized anxiety disorder, finding happiness every day

Carson Daly shares strategies for dealing with his generalized anxiety disorder and how he maintains his happiness throughout the day.
/ Source: TODAY

Carson Daly has opened up a lot about his personal life this year. He shared with TODAY viewers that he has generalized anxiety disorder — and it sometimes interferes with his crazy busy life. Yet it's also what makes Carson who he is.

"My anxiety and happiness are closely correlated, they're just on opposite sort of paths," he explained. "So I'm a little sensitive to being nervous on one side, but also I get great joy and great happiness from certain sources and that's an incredible experience."

Carson hosts the Orange Room on TODAY, while also hosting 'The Voice," and managing a busy home life with his wife, Siri Daly, and their three young children.

"I find happiness every day in my family ... I feel like when I see them, no matter what's going on in my professional life or anywhere else, what's really at the core of everything for me is drawing inspiration and being happy for my family," Carson said.

On days when he's feeling a bit stressed or anxious, Carson practices breathing techniques.

"I find that just taking 60 seconds, five, six, seven times a day to focus on my breathing really just brings everything down and calms me down," Carson explained. "It's a very simple thing, but a lot of us forget to breathe. We sort of get stuck, and I find that focusing on my breathing helps to bring my heart rate back down."

Carson recently lost his mom and his stepfather. He shared that his faith has helped him work through the pain, but he also has a simple piece of advice that has helped him to gain perspective.

"I wake up, the alarm goes off and I just thank God I've got another day to get it right and I just worry about today," Carson said. "Then, by the end of the day, I hope I was the best husband, the best father, the best co-worker, the best person in society that I could possibly be. Did I get it right? And then I put my head on the pillow and I hope I get another opportunity to do that again the next day."

If none of this advice rings true for you, Carson has one last piece of wisdom:

"I get great happiness when I walk in my house and my wife's happy and having a great day and my kids are happy, then I can be happy as a dad ... When my family's happy, I'm happy."

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