Josh asks Ella “What is Anxiety?” and boy, is it ever a loaded question. Josh explains the what anxiety is from an emotional perspective as well as giving insight into what different parts of the brain are being activated for the “fight or flight” response. This is a longer episode, because the question takes some considerable time to answer.

Content Note: While we do joke around a lot, we also discuss our experiences with panic attacks and anxiety and at times describe details which listeners may find unsettling. Please be mindful of this as you listen.

Josh is the author of best-selling book, Anxiety: Panicking about Panic, and the follow-up, Anxiety: Practical about Panic. He is a fully qualified Psychotherapist with a Masters in Counselling Psychology from Keele University and he also runs a private counselling practice based in Manchester called The Panic Room. Joshua spends his career helping others overcome anxiety and panic, by working with people directly in his practice, or writing self-help books on the topic.

Ella Jean is a Canadian singer and producer living in the UK. She is in a band called UGLY based in London and an alternative comedy troupe called A.C.I.D! based in Leeds. She first met Josh in 2016 before releasing her first mixtape Facetious Emo Niece and performing 25 hour-long improvised cabaret performances at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018. Ella has a degree in linguistics and spends her career producing songs and podcasts.