Going AU Naturel

HAVING HELPED US ALL TO SEE HOW EASY IT COULD BE TO GET SUGAR OUT OF OUR LIVES, DYNAMIC SARAH WILSON IS GETTING BACK TO NATURE AND WANTS US TO COME WITH HER, SAYS SARA BUNNY

- Sara Bunny

She’s well known for her stance on sugar, she’s spoken out about commercialism, and she can’t stand toxic cosmetics. But for author and wellness expert Sarah Wilson, it was her recent book on life with anxiety that led to her being identified with one of today’s biggest health issues.

In First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Sarah wasn’t afraid to get personal, opening up about grappling with her innermost thoughts, why we shouldn’t see anxiety as a disability, and why we should all feel okay talking about it. Since it hit the shelves this year, the response has been overwhelming.

So why are so many of us identifying as having anxiety these days, and are the numbers on the rise?

“First of all, I distinguish between types of anxiety,” says Sarah. “There’s the ‘fair enough’ anxiety, which is in response to something like public speaking, which I think is on the rise because of the way we’re living. We’re putting ourselves in an anxious space by frenetically running from one thing to the next, and grasping out for more and more stimulation.

“But that’s not quite the same as what has previously been called ‘disordered anxiety’. Stats for things like bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder have been pretty much between one and two per cent of the population, anywhere in the world, since time immemorial. I would argue that this kind is being confused with the fair enough anxiety.”

Judging from the feedback, the book has struck a chord, not just with those who experience anxiety, but also with their loved ones.