If you follow me on social media, you’ll have no doubt seen me mention Chloe Brotheridge, or at least her books The Anxiety Solution and Brave New Girl– all about anxiety and confidence respectively. Chloe is a hypnotherapist and coach at www.calmer-you.com and author of The Anxiety Solution: a Quieter Mind, a Calmer You and ‘Brave New Girl’, which came out in May 2019.

As so many people experience both these issues (as in issues with anxiety and confidence) I was thrilled to get the opportunity to catch up with Chloe, to chat about anxiety, confidence and everything else in between. If you’ve ever had an issue with anxiety or confidence, this podcast is for you. I hope you love it.

Anxiety and confidence

Chloe starts by telling us how she got into this line of work, which was largely because she was really struggling with anxiety herself. It was a quote that turned things around for her (she says that’s cheesy but true… and I just love it!) and from then she went on a real journey to control her anxiety and then help others.

Anxious or anxiety?

Being anxious can be very normal, but anxiety might not be, as Chloe discusses. She details how some feelings of being anxious are completely normal, but others aren’t. From how anxiety can be very physical as well as mental, to panic attacks and the repercussions of things like social anxiety and how this can grow. We also talk about the importance of going to a doctor if you’re worried about your anxiety and how it’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of. She also explains how treating it earlier can lessen the severity of it all.

Not just a mental issue

Interestingly, anxiety has a whole load of physical symptoms, as Chloe explains. Chloe talks about some of the physical issues that people with anxiety may experience, why they might experience them, and how our body processes such things. We talk about fight or flight, the feelings that can rise up, and how it can actually feel like you’re dying when you’re experiencing extreme anxiety.

A modern day condition?

Is anxiety a modern day condition? Chloe talks about how we evolved to live in close tribes and how we used to move around a lot which would burn off the adrenaline. We also talk about loneliness and the impact this can have, but also how now we have connections with so many people, take in world events, and how this can have a big impact on our anxiety too.

Social media and anxiety

Social media does get a bad rap, but Chloe talks about how it can actually be quite positive and, also, how it’s not social media’s fault. The ‘issue’ is often linked to advertising companies who can make us feel bad about ourselves (so we buy the ‘fix’) and the people we chose to follow. If you follow positive, inspiring accounts vs accounts that make you feel negative or lacking, it can be really positive.

That voice in your head (we all have them)

Do you have that little voice in your head that likes to make you feel even worse? Yeah – we all do – in fact it’s a subject that Chloe talks about with people at her first coaching session with them. Chloe discusses how we need to be aware of how we’re talking to ourselves and think if that’s the way that we would speak to our friends. And if it isn’t, it might be something we need to look at to help us manage our thoughts and feelings.

Now let’s talk about confidence…

Chloe’s second book, Brave New Girl, is all about confidence. And in case you hadn’t guessed, they’re very much related and often linked by their roots in self esteem issues and not being good enough.

Confidence and having issues with confidence can appear in ways you might not see. So things such as not being able to say no, imposter syndrome and so much else can be linked to confidence.

We often think of confidence being fixed but it isn’t. We can feel confident and then something changes, like we have children, a work change/redundancy or something else can impact it. There are, of course, things you can do (as Chloe explains), but I found it really interesting that people have peaks and troughs… and also that some people we think are really confident aren’t always.

Is a lack of confidence a female thing?

Not exclusively, but as Chloe explains, there are lots of reasons why women can experience more confidence issues than men. This might be because of the evolution of a woman’s place in the workspace, but also how we raise little girls and what we link their value to.

Can you build your confidence?

Oh yes – Chloe details some great ways that you can help to build your confidence in small steps, through looking at what you’ve done. She also talks about how you can push yourself in smalls ways to help grow your confidence, being kind to yourself and so much more.

To find out more about Chloe Brotheridge…

Chloe’s website 

Free anxiety toolkit www.calmeryou.com/free

Chloe Brotheridge on Instagram

Chloe’s podcast 

Link to NHS mood quiz