have migraines and muscle tightness,
and I’d wear black to hide the sweating
... but I didn’t connect it to anxiety,” says
the 34-year-old. “The lowest point was
when I started to feel like I didn’t want
to leave the safety of my home.”
There is not one singular factor
that plays a role in its emergence – rath-
er a contributing set of circumstances
such as family history, life experiences,
physical wellbeing and brain chemistry.
Certain personality traits are common,
with studies showing that children who
are perfectionists, easily flustered, tim-
id, inhibited, lacking in self-esteem or
prone to wanting to control everything
are more predisposed to anxiety.
“Many of us with anxiety don’t look
like we’ve got a problem because out-
wardly we function ludicrously well,”
writes Sarah Wilson, who confessed to
her own anxiety battles in her memoir
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful.
The peculiar demands of modern“I love sport, but
raising my heart
rate tricks mybody into a panic
attack—which
“To make a family run smoothly, balance
career with kids, have time for a
relationship with my husband, keep
a house clean and be the taxi service
does take its toll and, for me, that toll
tumbled into depression and
anxiety. After my last album
release tipped me over the edge,
I couldn’t eat, sleep or cope at
all. Now I’ve worked out what
I need to do every day to
manage my anxiety: meditate,
exercise, drink (water, rarely
alcohol), get good sleep,
say no to too much
and, yep, have a
house cleaner.”“I could have a conversation
with another new mum –
someone I desperately
wanted to be friends with –
and five minutes later wonder
what we’d been talking about.
I’d been so worried
about fainting or her
thinking I was a freak, I’d only
been going through the
motions. Hearing a calm voice
at the end of the phone
when I called the postnatal
helpline helped me wade
through anxiety.”MOTHER
LANA BARTON, 28“I love sport, but raising my
heart rate tricks my body into
a panic attack – which makes
life hard as a personal trainer!
Things would be a lot simpler
without the fear of panic
attacks, but anxiety has also
helped me prove to myself
just how strong I am.”PERSONAL TRAINER
JESS GAZAL, 21SINGER/SONGWRITER
JO CASELY, 40marieclaire.com.au 41SPECIAL REPORT