Book review and reflections: Living Beyond Anxiety: Finding Peace, Hope, and Healing One Step at a Time by Charlotte Mugabe

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Living Beyond Anxiety is Charlotte Mugabe’s story of living with, surviving, thriving with and beyond anxiety. It is her first book, independently published, and its official launch is in October 2026.

Charlotte writes Living Beyond Anxiety not only to tell her story, but also to give encouragement and practical advice to those who may be living with anxiety. Storytelling is an important and very African way to convey knowledge, so thank you, Charlotte, for your vulnerability and bravery in writing this. Most of all, I appreciate the awareness-raising element of this book, as anxiety and other mental health-related topics are not often discussed in African communities.

The book is arranged in 18 chapters, framed by an introduction and an epilogue. It closes with a discussion and reflection guide and a list of resources. Charlotte has poured a lot of love into the book, dedicating it to “every person who has ever fought a silent battle with anxiety,” and ending it with “A Letter to the One Who Kept Going” (p.104).

In Charlotte’s case, anxiety came with panic attacks and agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterised by intense fear and avoidance of situations in which escape might be difficult, or help might be unavailable, should panic-like or otherwise incapacitating symptoms occur. Such situations commonly include using public transport, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in queues or crowds, and being outside the home alone. Although the fear is out of proportion to any actual danger, it is experienced as real and can significantly restrict a person’s daily life. For Charlotte, it all started at a very happy occasion, a birthday party surrounded by loved ones. Midway through the celebration, she had her first panic attack: her chest tightened, her heart pounded and she could not breathe. She thought she was dying.

Charlotte has written about how crippling and debilitating anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia has been. She described the physical symptoms that accompanied her condition at the time. Her heart raced, she had shortness of breath and acid reflux that sent her from doctor to doctor, while test after test came back normal. She described a deep sense of fear, even of imminent death, that led to the inability to leave the house. At its worst, she could not even go to the bathroom or sleep alone. It’s frustrating, too, that for her this all seemingly appeared from nowhere, and really, she never found out what caused it. At one point, she even wondered whether she had been bewitched, until a pastor suggested she see a psychiatrist.

Anxiety did not only affect Charlotte. She described the impact it has had on those close to her: her children and her husband, who watched her suffer, unable to take the pain away, but Charlotte’s family has supported her well through it. Her children’s bunk bed was moved into her room so she would not sleep alone, and her niece put her own life on hold to become her caregiver.

I liked the intersection of beliefs surrounding witchcraft, religion and science, but ultimately, her faith in God prevailed as she learned that:

…God can use many different tools.
He can work through doctors.
He can work through psychiatrists.
He can work through medication.
He can work through therapy.
He can work through prayer.
He can work through education and support. (p. 20)

A significant part of the book is therefore on motivation and encouragement, infused with God and faith. The later chapters close with a reflection, a journal prompt, a prayer and an affirmation, which makes the book work almost as a companion for readers going through it themselves. There is a lot of love, hope and determination infused in this book. The reassurance that agoraphobia is real and there is support available from loved ones and the wider community is an important message. The book is Available at: https://www.amazon.sg/Living-Beyond-Anxiety-Charlotte-Mugabe/dp/B0HBRMHHG6.

I would recommend everyone to read this, whether or not you have experienced anxiety as you may meet someone who has and may need your help to direct them to resources.

Thank you very much, Charlotte, for a free e-copy of the e-book. It was an honour to read and review it, as it tackles such an important topic, one not often discussed amongst our people.

I also thought the message Charlotte sent me to request a review was really heartwarming, and I decided (with permission) to include it below:

Dear African Women Writing Team,

I hope you are well.

My name is Charlotte Mugabe, a Botswana author and the writer of Living Beyond Anxiety, a deeply personal memoir about my journey through anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia, and my journey towards healing.

I came across African Women Writing and immediately felt that my story belonged in the kind of space you have created — a space where the voices, experiences and stories of African women are seen, heard and celebrated.

Living Beyond Anxiety was born out of one of the most difficult seasons of my life.

There was a time when anxiety became so overwhelming that ordinary things became frightening. I experienced panic attacks, fear, isolation and uncertainty, and there were moments when I wondered whether I would ever feel like myself again.

But slowly, I began to find my way back.

I wrote this book because I wanted to tell the truth about that journey — not from a place of having everything figured out, but from the perspective of a woman who has walked through a very difficult season and discovered that life can still be beautiful on the other side.

More importantly, I wrote it for the woman who may be struggling silently today.

The woman who is afraid to leave her house.
The woman who doesn’t understand what is happening to her.
The woman who feels that nobody around her truly understands.
The woman who is wondering whether she will ever feel like herself again.

I want her to know that she is not alone.

As a Botswana woman and African author, it is especially important to me that stories about mental health and healing are also told from African perspectives. So much of what we experience can remain unspoken because of stigma, misunderstanding or the fear of being judged.

I believe our stories have the power to change that.

Living Beyond Anxiety is already independently published, and I am currently preparing for my official book launch in October 2026.

I would be deeply honoured if African Women Writing would consider the book for a review or reflection on your platform.

I would be very happy to send you a complimentary digital copy of the book for consideration, together with my author biography, book information and anything else you may need.

Thank you for creating a platform that celebrates African women writers and gives our stories room to breathe.

It would mean a great deal to me to have Living Beyond Anxiety considered, and I would be honoured for my story to become part of the conversation you are building.

Warm regards,

Charlotte Mugabe

About the Author

Charlotte Mugabe is a Botswana-based author, writer and anxiety awareness advocate. Her

passion for helping others understand anxiety was born from her own personal experience of

living with anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia.

Through her writing and personal platform, All Things Anxiety Disorder, Charlotte creates

awareness around anxiety and encourages people who are struggling to seek help, speak

openly about their experiences and believe that recovery is possible.

Her first book, Living Beyond Anxiety, is a deeply personal account of her journey through

anxiety, panic and fear, and the steps she took towards healing. Through sharing her story,

Charlotte hopes to remind others that anxiety does not have to define their lives and that

there is hope beyond the fear.

Charlotte is passionate about using her voice and lived experience to encourage, educate

and give hope to people who may be silently struggling with anxiety.

She is based in Botswana, where she continues to write, raise awareness and share

messages of hope through her work.