Book review: How to Live in Fear: Mastering the Art of Freaking Out by Lance Hahn

I have never suffered from real anxiety attacks, but I know people that have issues with anxiety and can appreciate how debilitating this issue can be. So I was interested in reading this book because the author himself has suffered from anxiety issues and uses this book as a guide for others on how to deal with anxiety attacks.
While medication to treat anxiety issues will often work for sufferers, it is important, as stated by the author in this book, to not forget the other aspects of the environment that can help. Especially important are family and friends. No person suffering from anxiety issues should be embarrassed about this issue and be afraid to talk to others about the problem, especially talk to family and friends. Even if medication in the end is the solution, having a support network will help and can often lessen the frequency of the attacks.
In his case, the author was lucky and found that not only family and friends, but his church community (the author is a pastor in real life) supported him in his struggle with anxiety. Such support in the environment can help reduce the anxiety issues and make the person affected more stable and relaxed.
While there are some religious overtones in the book, overall, the book is not a religious book. It is a book with life lessons, in particular for people suffering from anxiety, but also people surrounding them. To me, the book provided some new insights into how anxiety sufferers see the world and made an informative introduction to how people suffering from anxiety see the world.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book for review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.