Busy Philipps Says Courteney Cox Convinced Her to Get Help For Anxiety: 'I Was Barely Holding It Together'

'I was barely holding it together,' says Busy Philipps, who stars in the new movie I Feel Pretty

Right after the birth of her first daughter, Birdie, 9, Busy Philipps admits she was not in a good place. The actress, 38, who has recently become a social media star with almost one million followers on Instagram, says it’s now hard for her to even think back to that time.

“I was barely holding it together,” she says in the latest issue of PEOPLE.

The Dawson’s Creek alum was suffering from postpartum anxiety and didn’t want anyone else taking care of her newborn. “I didn’t want anyone else touching her. I felt like I was the only one that could help or soothe her. That was a hard time,” she says.

For more on Busy Philipps, check out this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Around this same time, Philipps began working on the show Cougar Town and says it was the show’s star, Courteney Cox, who convinced her it was time to get help.

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“Courteney was like, ‘I think you should talk to a doctor about medication.'” Philipps went on antidepressants for about a year and a half and says it helped get her through that challenging time.

Despite being a self-described extrovert, Philipps still suffers from social anxiety and credits her husband writer-director Marc Silverstein’s support and her intense workouts for helping ease it.

Philipps who is also mom to Cricket, 4, says she is loving this stage in the girls’ lives. “I wish I could bottle it up. I love how funny they are.”

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She has also managed to find a nice balance between work and motherhood and can next be seen in the comedy I Feel Pretty playing the friend of a woman (Amy Schumer) who hits her head and wakes up thinking she’s gorgeous. The movie was a chance for Philipps to work with Silverstein, who co-wrote and directed the movie with his writing partner Abby Kohn.

“I love this movie’s positive strong message for girls,” says Philipps.

I Feel Pretty hits theaters April 20.