At the age of 23, Joshua Fletcher had no idea that the day he had a nervous breakdown would be the first step in helping thousands of people across the globe with anxiety:
“I thought I’d lost it. I thought I had broken my brain.” Fletcher recalls when having to be picked up from the school he worked at by his concerned Mother.
Soon after, Joshua was diagnosed with an acute anxiety disorder that involved experiencing continuous panic attacks, which caused him to withdraw from work and social relationships.
“I was overwhelmed by this alien sense of fear, like something bad was going to happen, but I couldn’t quite work out what. My heart pounded constantly, I felt this sense of unreality and I didn’t sleep or eat for days. I just kept trying to work out why I suddenly felt the way I did in order to stop the waves of terror that kept overwhelming me.”
Joshua recounts his story in tackling and overcoming anxiety and panic attacks in his best-selling book, Anxiety: Panicking about Panic, which has sold over 50,000 copies globally. Many readers of the book have resonated with the plight of confidence and overall wellbeing when it comes to living with an anxiety condition. According to ourworldindata.org up to 7% of people are diagnosed with some form of anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Joshua’s story helps to shine a ray of hope for people who may find themselves in a similar position.
Joshua is now a qualified psychotherapist who runs a practice called The Panic Room, which is based in Manchester, England. He works with people across the globe using video links and often comments on anxiety related issues in the media. He has recently done some work with the BBC in the UK for BBC Bitesize. He also hosts a podcast called The Panic Pod – providing reassuring advice and psychoeducation for others.
“If I could bottle the reassurance that was provided to me when I was in the height of my anxiety, then I would and give it out to those who need it. This is my philosophy behind my work.”
Joshua has a book on social anxiety coming out later this year.
