Homing26 Helmi

Anxiety in the Body: Creating a Sanctuary at Home with Dr Alexandra Shaker

Anxiety is something many of us carry quietly. It can shape everything, from how we move through the world to how we feel at home.

In this episode of Homing, Dr Alexandra Shaker explores how the home can become a sanctuary and how physical environments can either soothe or unsettle us.

Alexandra is a specialist in anxiety disorders with a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her book The Narrowing combines her personal experiences of panic attacks with what she’s learned over years as a practitioner and researcher.

The conversation traces some of the root causes of anxiety and practical ways to live alongside it, from mindfulness and sleep hygiene to the importance of community and belonging. Matt and Alexandra discuss how spaces, lighting, sounds, and materials can trigger panic, and how the home can be adapted into a calming, grounding refuge.

This episode is about understanding anxiety in the body, the power of practical support, and how a home can centre us and keep us grounded through difficult times.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from Alexandra:
Her Substack Janus Gate features pressing questions, hesitations and preoccupations through the lenses of psychological research and contemporary culture. You’ll also receive her book reviews.

To hear more from us:
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version
Instagram: @homingwithmatt
TikTok: @homing.with.matt
Contact: Email us at hello@mattgibberd.com

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

For exclusive walking tours – from Dan Pearson’s year-round outdoor kitchen to Polly Morgan’s taxidermy zebra – join us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(99)

Will Fisher: The Boy Who Dreamed of Country Houses

Antiques dealer Will Fisher was obsessed with English country houses from age seven – a fascination that sparked a lifelong pursuit of beauty.Will grew up in southeast London, the son of two working-c...

15 Loka 1h 16min

Why Home Lives in the Imagination | with Turkish Novelist Elif Shafak

For Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak, home isn't a physical place; it lives in the stories we tell.Elif is an award-winning novelist, celebrated for writing about the lives of people on the margin...

8 Loka 54min

Dan Martensen: The Fashion Photographer Who Learned to Fit In

Dan Martensen is a portrait and fashion photographer whose work appears in Vogue, i-D and WSJ Magazine. He’s also the founder of It’s Bagels, bringing the New York-style bagel he grew up with to Londo...

1 Loka 1h 16min

Why Creativity Is a Human Need | With Amie McNee

Writer and creative coach Amie McNee believes that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s a fundamental human need, and one that many of us are suppressing.Amie has a wonderfully broad definition of creativi...

24 Syys 1h

Rose Wylie: Nonconformity, Ageing & the Beauty of an Unruly Home

At 91, Rose Wylie has one of the most remarkable stories in contemporary British art. She stopped painting in order to raise her three children and returned to it in middle age, finding widespread rec...

17 Syys 1h 14min

Is Your Home Keeping You Awake? Professor Russell Foster Rethinks the Rules of Sleep

We spend around a third of our lives asleep, yet for so many of us, getting a good night’s sleep can feel like a real struggle. Could our homes hold some of the answers to sleeping better?In this conv...

10 Syys 58min

Charlene Prempeh: Why More Space Isn’t the Key to a Happier Home

Matt Gibberd visits writer and creative consultant Charlene Prempeh at her home in North London. Charlene is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a creative studio that champions Black culture. She’s a ...

3 Syys 1h 25min

Lemn Sissay: What Happens When Home Rejects You?

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright and broadcaster. Few people have thought more deeply about the meaning of home than Lemn. As a baby, Lemn was separated from his Ethiopian mother and placed into fost...

20 Elo 48min