<p>Drawing on her personal journey with mental wellness, Andrea Petersen equips audiences with powerful insights on how to manage and conquer anxiety and panic attacks. </p><p>Andrea is a nationally celebrated health, psychology, and neuroscience journalist and contributing writer at <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>. She brings mental health awareness to millions of readers with her thoughtful reporting on a range of important wellness topics, from student mental health and cognitive behavioral therapy to suicide, and insomnia. Prior to her current role, she worked for 18 years as a staff reporter and editor at the WSJ, and has contributed to several high-profile media outlets, from O, The Oprah Magazine to Time.com. </p><p>She is the author of the acclaimed new memoir, <i>On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety,</i> which offers a brave and poignant chronicle of her 25-year struggle with acute anxiety, along with an examination of the science of anxiety and the groundbreaking research that may lead to new treatments and coping strategies.</p><p>Andrea enlightens with a refreshingly honest and relatable account of how she came to understand and master her lifelong struggle with anxiety – a journey that took her from therapists’ offices to yoga retreats to the Appalachian Trail. She reveals the fascinating biology behind the disorder, and breaks down how anxiety can hurt – and even help – us in our work and personal lives, leaving audiences with a new outlook on how we as a society view and treat disorders of the brain.</p>
<i>The Wall Street Journal</i> Contributing Writer & <i>On Edge: A Journey through Anxiety</i> Author
<ul><li><Strong>On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety</Strong></li><li>A racing heart. Difficulty breathing. Overwhelming dread. Andrea Petersen was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at the age of twenty, but she later realized she had been experiencing panic attacks since childhood. Although having a name for her condition was an enormous relief, it was only the beginning of a journey to understand and master it – one that took her from therapists’ offices to yoga retreats to the Appalachian Trail. Woven into Andrea’s personal journey is a fascinating look at the biology of anxiety and how advances in neuroimaging and genetics are beginning to unravel some of the mysteries of the anxious brain. She explores cutting-edge treatments, how anxiety can affect work and personal relationships—and even some of anxiety’s unexpected upsides. And she delves into the everyday lifestyle practices that help keep anxiety in check. </li><li><Strong>Coping with Anxiety at School and in the Workplace</Strong></li><li>A growing number of young people are dealing with serious anxiety. This can have severe ramifications at school and at work. While a certain amount of anxiety can be helpful—it motivates us to study for tests and prepare for presentations-- in excess amounts it can be paralyzing. In a relatable talk with plenty of action-oriented tips, Andrea discusses the latest research on how anxiety affects cognition and work and strategies to reframe anxiety and actually use it to boost performance. She talks about how anxiety has affected her own schooling and career and shares the cutting-edge treatments to successfully manage anxiety disorders and the lifestyle practices that can keep anxiety from spiraling out of control. She also sheds light on the lingering stigma around mental health issues at school and in the workplace, how to find support and other strategies for doing your best work—even when anxiety interferes. </li></ul>