In the last 5 years there has been a global rise in anxiety and according to the annual Attitudes to Mental Health and Stigma survey at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, nearly half of Irish adults have been treated for a mental health difficulty in 2021.  

Those who suffer from anxiety are often faced with misconceptions about anxiety, that it’s just a feeling and can be shrugged off. It is true that anxiety is a feeling of worry and unease about something, however, anxiety disorders overall are defined as excessive worry and hyperarousal which disrupt your ability to function. 

For as long as I can remember I have suffered with anxiety, and I have dealt with these misconceptions. In my personal experience I often find it hard to be in the moment, instead focusing more reliving past events or negatively projecting into the future.

Turning to street photography, these images are created in a public space, where for many anxieties can often be heightened. This body of work emulates that state of flux by creating a contrast between detailed stills and blurred abstract imagery. Creating a tension between these two states, these images visualise something that can be hard to articulate.