In this episode I speak with Joshua Fletcher (@anxietyjosh on IG), who is a psychotherapist specialising in anxiety disorders. I wanted to understand why grief can often be a catalyst for anxiety and how we can learn to retrain our brain to manage it more effectively.

Josh opens up about the experience of losing his brother to cancer as a teenager and how the unprocessed grief led him to a mental breakdown. However, he now commits his career to providing psychoeducation and spreading awareness about the topic. He is a best-selling author of two anxiety self-help books, as well as hosting The Panic Pod podcast.

We also discuss:

• Ruminating thoughts
• Why we shouldn't search for 'coping mechanisms' as we CAN cope
• How we need to retrain our brain to break our anxious habits
• Alcohol & anxiety
• Making peace with your anxiety and letting it be with you, rather than fighting it
• Complicated grief
• Gambling and addiction
• When to seek help

We hope that this episode helps you to feel less alone in your journey.

Don't forget to follow me at @tamsinmillard

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