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When I First Read Hope and Help for Your Nerves
I started reading ‘Hope and Help for Your Nerves’, a book by Clair Weekes, written in the 1960s on a busy delayed bus back home from London. I discovered it when I was searching through Reddit to read about other people’s struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, to feel better about my own.
After suffering for nearly a decade with regular panic attacks, I didn’t think a book would help, but I thought I’d give it a try – and I’m so grateful I did. Just a few chapters in and the way she framed everything, gave me an almost instant feeling of wellbeing.
Hope and Help for Your Nerves, written decades ago, is still considered one of the most helpful resources for people dealing with anxiety disorders, nervous exhaustion, and panic. But why has it stood the test of time?
Let’s break it down.
Who Was Claire Weekes?
Claire Weekes was an Australian doctor and scientist who became one of the first medical professionals to explain anxiety in a way people could actually understand.
She didn’t just study it—she lived it. After experiencing severe anxiety herself, she developed a practical method to recover, based on acceptance, floating, and letting time pass.
What Is Hope and Help for Your Nerves About?
The book isn’t full of medical jargon or abstract theory. Instead, it walks readers through how anxiety works in the body, why symptoms like heart palpitations and dizziness are harmless, and how to stop fearing fear.
Key themes from the book include:
- Facing rather than avoiding anxiety
- Accepting physical sensations instead of fighting them
- Allowing time to heal your nervous system
- Understanding the “second fear” that often fuels panic attacks
These principles form the foundation of what many now call nervous system regulation.
Why It Still Works Today
Even though the book was written in the 1960s, the core method holds up. Modern neuroscience now backs much of what Weekes described decades ago.
Terms like polyvagal theory, nervous system reset, and mind-body connection have grown in popularity—but the essence is the same: stop fearing your symptoms, and let your body recover.
Common Symptoms Addressed
Hope and Help for Your Nerves is particularly helpful for people who experience:
- Panic attacks
- Generalized anxiety
- Agoraphobia
- Derealization or depersonalization
- Health anxiety
- “Nervous fatigue”
The book reassures readers that they’re not going crazy, and that recovery is possible without years of therapy or medication.
Why It Still Beats Most Modern Advice
So many resources today overcomplicate anxiety or pathologize it too quickly.
Weekes’ approach is different. It’s compassionate, no-nonsense, and incredibly practical. You don’t need special tools, apps, or supplements to follow her method.
She simply teaches you how to stop the cycle of fear that fuels anxiety—something even many modern therapists still use as a foundation for treatment.
Where to Buy the Book
Hope and Help for Your Nerves is available on Amazon and other major book retailers. It’s affordable, short, and easy to reread when symptoms flare up.
It’s also a good gift for someone who’s struggling and doesn’t know where to start.
Can You Combine It with Other Tools?
Absolutely. Many readers pair Weekes’ advice with:
- Yoga nidra or guided meditations
- Nervous system education (like polyvagal theory)
- Herbs and supplements for emotional balance
One such option includes kanna, a natural plant known to support mood and reduce stress. Below you’ll find my review on my first week trying kanna when my anxiety was at an all-time high:
Final Thoughts
If you’re overwhelmed, burned out, or stuck in an anxiety loop, Hope and Help for Your Nerves could be the book that finally helps things click.
It’s not about curing anxiety overnight—it’s about understanding your nervous system and giving it the chance to heal.
You don’t need to fight your anxiety. You just need to stop fearing it.
Hope and help for your nerves was one of the books included on the below list of books on emotional regulation if you want some further reading after you’ve finished it:
heykanna
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