One in three Americans will have at least one anxiety disorder in their lifetime. One. in. Three. I don't doubt these numbers, Because I am one of the ones. I suffer from anxiety, and "suffer" truly is the word to describe it. Clearly, I am far from the only one.
Health and science writer Andrea Petersen is one too. She has suffered from anxiety for many years, and so she did what any smart journalist would do--she studied it from every angle and shared it all with us in her new book On Edge.
With intimate stories about her own personal anxious moments (days, weeks, months, years), Petersen shows exactly how anxiety can rob you of happiness, of relationships, of self-confidence, of ambition, of almost everything you hold dear. She talks about the aches and pains, the sleeplessness, the heart palpitations, the trouble breathing, and all the other myriad symptoms that make anxiety so debilitating, and make it so hard to diagnose.
But more than just talking about her own experiences with anxiety, she also does her homework. She looks at every aspect of anxiety disorders, from its history to current research on where anxiety resides in the brain. She looked at medications as well as therapy and natural remedies. She looked at anxiety from every perspective, so that we can all find ways to feel better and be successful.
For me, reading this book was a two-edged sword. Reading about Petersen's anxiety brought back a lot of memories of panic attacks and generalized anxiety that I'd be okay with leaving in my past. But knowing that I'm not alone in having these memories means a lot. Petersen actually made me feel like I'm part of a tribe, and that helps ease my heightened tension. It's not a tribe that I would have chosen for myself--anxiety definitely chose me--but at least I know that there are others out there like me, who understand all this exactly.
So if you're a part of the tribe, or you know or love someone who is and want to understand what it's like, pick up On Edge. You'll understand exactly what it's like to have anxiety, or if you already understand that better than you want to, you'll be reminded that you're not alone. There is help.
Galleys for On Edge provided by Crown Publishing through NetGalley.com.