Last month, I received an email from Agi Heale about her new book titled ‘Generation Panic: Simple & Empowering Techniques to Combat Anxiety’ and I was open to reviewing the book because (1) I felt it might be useful for my blog readers and (2) Agi’s email was well-crafted and it was difficult to say ‘no’. 
I’ve never had panic attacks before so, ordinarily, this would not be a book I would pick up at a bookstore or library. Now, I know better. Pre-COVID, most of us would need to read this book but now, I’d think all of us do. You may not have experienced panic attacks before but you’ve probably experienced anxiety (and maybe even a lot of it) at some point in your life.
(*I’d like to add that Agi never once sent a chaser email to check if I’ve received the book, whether I’ve read it, and ask about when this review will be published. It’d probably have caused me some anxiety, actually. XD Don’t remind me about the time another angmoh author asked if I’d review her book – there were so many chaser emails for what was essentially a free review that I decided not to do the review in the end)
Right from the get-go, the author shares about who the GP’ers (Generation Panic) are: the people in their twenties and thirties who, because of expectations and comparisons with others, experience anxiety in their lives, all while trying to keep up. That struck a chord with me. I’ve read articles about people who’ve lost so much weight during lockdowns, look out the window and see people jogging (especially those ladies who wear just their sports bras and leggings OMG), and I feel bad about not doing enough, like I’m wasting a good opportunity to whip myself into shape during a lockdown/Circuit Breaker/ Phase 2/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Also, apart from our own expectations of ourselves, there are those from people who are close to us. I was told that a family member (won’t say who) voiced his wish that my darling and I would get a condo unit so he could come use the pool in the condominium whenever he wanted to have a swim. When I first heard that, I was shocked. Dumbfounded. In utter disbelief. It’s common for family members to expect you to get married by a certain age, expect you to have kids, expect you to give your parents a monthly allowance. But expecting you to own a condo unit so they can use the pool?! Well, that’s a first. 
‘Generation Panic’ offers over 100 techniques you can use to manage anxiety and I definitely have a few favorites already: mantras, cue cards, gratitude book, I Am Amazing Notebook, etc.
I think Agi really poured her soul into this book by being open and vulnerable, and in sharing about her experience with anxiety and panic attacks. As a professional certified coach and certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, she definitely has the credentials and knowledge to help guide anyone struggling with anxiety or just feeling overwhelmed in general, to become calmer and more confident. I’d highly recommend you grab a copy of this book, ‘Generation Panic’, and start implementing the techniques listed within. 