Psychotherapist and best-selling author of Anxiety: Panicking about Panic, Joshua Fletcher, talks about how it is ever so common for people to be stuck in a loop of fearing their own anxiety. “Oh, it’s ever so common. Thanks to the existing social stigma, people are still a bit afraid and confused to speak out about it.” Fletcher explains.
Panic disorder is categorized as someone who experiences acute anxiety and having several panic attacks in a short amount of time. It affects around 2% of the general population. Joshua was once diagnosed with panic disorder himself and recalls the feelings associated with the diagnosis:
“In the midst of panic disorder, your whole life gets put on hold because the terror makes you drop everything. Panic waves are so intense that you try to do everything in your power to prevent them from happening again. I used to pace around my room with a pounding heart, this sense of derealization and an urge to ‘figure out’ why I felt so scared all of a sudden!”
Despite the acute nature of anxiety and its symptoms, Fletcher reassures people that anxiety cannot harm you and it is nothing to be feared. He also informs that the number of anxiety-related inquiries he has received has rapidly risen since the COVID-19 pandemic was announced:
Fletcher explains, “It’s unsurprising to me that people would be naturally more anxious at a time like this. What’s interesting though, is that a lot of the anxiety is not related to the virus itself, but as a result of the radical life changes we’ve had to make. A lot of people have had to sit at home with themselves and their thoughts and feelings; they have had to face fears and memories they have potentially put off for a long time. On top of that, they’ve also had to navigate what is a tricky period both socially and financially. This has lead to a lot of people experiencing acute anxiety and panic.”
Joshua runs his private anxiety practice called The Panic Room in Manchester, UK. There he works with all forms of anxiety disorders, as well as using it as a hub to broadcast his popular podcast The Panic Pod. Fletcher also has a radio show dedicated to discussing all things anxiety on Wellbeing Radio.
“In all the work I do, I endeavor to convey a message that it is OK to be anxious and panicky. You are not going insane. Your anxious brain just keeps triggering lots of adrenaline and this makes us feel weird, on edge and treats us to this awful sense of dread and doom that I’m very familiar with! There’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to anxiety and mental health in general.” Fletcher claims.
Joshua’s most recent book, Anxiety: Practical about Panic, has been published by John Murray Press and is available through all major book retailers.
For more information on Joshua, visit joshuafletcher.co.uk.
