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panic attacks

Pop Culture

Weatherman had 2 panic attacks on live TV and people are praising him for how he handled them

He got help, and now he’s sharing his story.

via Michael Belka/Wikimedia Commons

A weather man performing on a news set.

Nate Byrne, the weatherman on “The ABC News Breakfast,” had an unimaginably terrible experience in 2022 when he suffered 2 panic attacks on live TV on the same day. He believes the first attack was triggered by being a little late to the set for his segment and having to rush.

“As I stood there under the studio lights, talking to people having their morning coffee and wiping sleep from their eyes, my heart was racing, I was gasping for breath and sweat was pouring out of every pore as my brain screamed ‘RUN!’” he later recalled.

Byrne kept his composure and finished his segment. However, 15 minutes later, he was back on the air and had another panic attack. He went to a doctor that day who prescribed beta blockers, which reduced his symptoms temporarily.

People praised Byrne for how he handled the terrifying experience in front of a live audience. “Nate handled it extremely well,” one X user wrote. “Nate is an amazing person to take this step to share with the community the various impacts anxiety can make to our lives,” another X user added. “Well done, Nate!”

— (@)

While some public figures would keep quiet about their panic attacks, Byrne has gone public to create awareness about anxiety. In a special segment for ABC’s Anxiety Project Byrne spoke with Psychologist Jody Lowinger about the cause of panic attacks.

"Our brain is wired to self-protect, but it's not so great at differentiating between perceived threat and real threat,” Lowinger explained. “So, the physiological experiences that you're experiencing, that rapid shallow breathing, that rapid heart rate, and the sweatiness are all there to help us in the case that we need to run or fight. But in the case of this situation, when it's responding to that magnificent, active mind that you have, it's not very helpful."

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Family

‘Heart beating like a washing machine’: Prince Harry describes his intense panic attacks.

After the tragic death of his mother, Prince Harry struggled to seek out the emotional support he needed, which culminated in debilitating panic attacks, he explained in an eye-opening new interview with Forces TV.

Through the royal family's Heads Together campaign, shining a light on the importance of mental health, the prince has recently been more open in sharing his own struggles dealing with the loss of his mother when he was just 12 years old.

This interview, however, marks the first time Harry has gone into detail about his experience as a public figure secretly struggling with panic attacks.

"In my case, every single time I was in any room with loads of people, which is quite often, I was just pouring with sweat, my heart beating — boom, boom, boom, boom — literally, just like a washing machine," he told Forces TV.

"I was like, ‘Oh my God, get me out of here now. Oh, hang on, I can’t get out of here. I have got to just hide it.’”

Photo by Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool-Getty Images.

Harry — whose candid chat with his brother about Princess Diana's death went viral in April — said serving in the armed forces played a pivotal role in helping him confront his mental health struggles.

“Afghanistan was the moment where I was like, ‘right, deal with it,'" he said, noting he spent nearly two decades of struggling in silence before he opened up. “So many people who suffer from depression, anxiety, alcoholism, it can be from when you were younger, and Afghanistan is the trigger to bring it all to light and to deal with that stuff.”

It was his experience serving in Afghanistan that inspired Prince Harry to create the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for ill and wounded armed service members.

Harry's interview with Forces TV was part of his promotional tour for this year's upcoming games, which will be held in Toronto.

"I have seen that the games have given competitors new hope as they recovered from serious injuries and illnesses," he wrote in the Toronto Star last week. "And just as importantly, it’s given their loved ones new hope as they support them along this journey."

Photo by Steve Parsons/Getty Images.

Confronting mental illness and helping wounded warriors might be heavy-hearted endeavors. But the prince isn't one to shy away from adding a little bit of levity to the conversation in hopes it brings more people together.

“So many people are, you know, like slightly mental," he quipped to Forces TV. "Awesome! We are, we are all mental, and we have all got to deal with our stuff."

Need help managing your mental health? Learn how you can get help.

Family

If you don't have it, chronic anxiety can be hard to understand. These comics can help.

Ever felt like you can't explain how your anxiety feels? Artist Marzi has a solution.

Attention anyone with anxiety who spent time in class with their head down doodling in a notebook: This is a comic series for you.

Introvert Doodles started as a “self-pep talk” by a comic artist who goes by Marzi. She was inspired to explore her identity as an introvert after a personality test made her realize her introverted tendencies weren’t flaws — they were part of her personality.

On her site, she explains (in a doodle, of course):

Image by Marzi/@introvertdoodles.

“I was surprised when others connected with my doodles on Instagram,” she told The Mighty in an email. (“I’d love to hear from you. Just not over the phone,” she writes on her site.) “I realized I wasn’t the only one discovering that it’s OK to be an introvert.”

She also features comics about life with anxiety — although, she says, having anxiety and being an introvert are not synonymous.

“My anxiety began in my teens. I consider myself lucky, as right now it’s managed pretty well with medication,” she said. “I’m an introvert who happens to have anxiety …. Being an introvert simply means you draw your energy from within, and social outings drain your energy. It’s a personality you’re born with and not something that needs to be fixed.”

Image by Marzi/@introvertdoodles.

“Sometimes anxiety and introversion overlap,” Marzi said.

“In those cases, it’s helpful to identify the differences, so you know which tendencies to work on and which to embrace. I’ve learned that some things I was trying so hard to fix, didn’t need to be fixed at all. For example, it’s OK that I don’t have a big group of friends; it’s perfectly alright to just have one or two. It’s fine to leave a party early when I’m overstimulated. There’s nothing wrong with being quiet and only talking when I have something to say. As for the anxiety, I’m actively working to manage it.”

She says introverts like herself are finding a voice — and learning that, while their strengths are different from those of extroverts, they are no less valuable.

And while living with anxiety sometimes comes along with being an introvert, it’s not something that should be dismissed.

“The most important thing I want those without anxiety to understand is this: Even though the perceived danger may be irrational, the fear itself is very real,” she said. “So please, try to be patient.”

The comics show her understanding of how anxiety can make even the smallest things difficult.

Here are six more of her relatable anxiety doodles:

Image by Marzi/@introvertdoodles.

But it's worth celebrating every time you can overcome it.

Image by Marzi/@introvertdoodles.

She knows the feeling of a panic attack:

Image by Marzi/@introvertdoodles.

But she also helps guide friends and family through tough moments too.

Image by Marzi/@introvertdoodles.

To see more from Marzie, visit her site, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and check out her book, "The Introvert Activity Guide."

panic attacks

Weatherman had 2 panic attacks on live TV and people are praising him for how he handled them

He got help, and now he’s sharing his story.

‘Heart beating like a washing machine’: Prince Harry describes his intense panic attacks.

"In my case, every single time I was in any room with loads of people, which is quite often, I was just pouring with sweat, my heart beating — boom, boom, boom, boom — literally, just like a washing machine," he told Forces TV.

It was his experience serving in Afghanistan that inspired Prince Harry to create the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for ill and wounded armed service members.

If you don't have it, chronic anxiety can be hard to understand. These comics can help.

Ever felt like you can't explain how your anxiety feels? Artist Marzi has a solution.

Attention anyone with anxiety who spent time in class with their head down doodling in a notebook: This is a comic series for you.

She also features comics about life with anxiety — although, she says, having anxiety and being an introvert are not synonymous.

She says introverts like herself are finding a voice — and learning that, while their strengths are different from those of extroverts, they are no less valuable.

The comics show her understanding of how anxiety can make even the smallest things difficult.

But it's worth celebrating every time you can overcome it.

She knows the feeling of a panic attack:

But she also helps guide friends and family through tough moments too.

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