The Australian meteorologist stopped his live broadcast because he was having a panic attack, saying “I’m actually going to have to stop for a second.”
Nate Byrne, who wrote about his panic attacks in a 2022 article for ABC News Australia, said it was from “an anxiety problem that I still deal with to this day”.
“We’re going to see a lot more rain in the days ahead,” Byrne said during the Aug. 13 broadcast of ABC News Breakfast — before folding his arms and announcing he had to pause his report.
“Some of you may know that I have panic attacks from time to time, and this is actually happening right now.”
“Lisa, maybe I could pay you back,” he said, addressing co-host Lisa Millar.
“Sure you can, Nate,” she said, then referred to his past article. “It’s fantastic that he’s been so open and transparent about it, and the reaction when he first wrote about it and talked about it was that everyone was like, ‘Oh, thank God, Nate’s not perfect. We thought it was perfect’. ”
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Panic attacks “are sudden, intense feelings of fear that cause physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, and sweating,” explains the Cleveland Clinic.
In his article, Byrne — who served 12 years in the Australian Navy — explained that he had his first panic attack on live TV during a broadcast, and was initially prescribed beta blockers. He said he worked with a psychologist to come up with coping mechanisms, because removing himself from the situation that triggered him – the news on live television – “wasn’t quite what I needed.”
And as Byrne wrote, “talking about my anxiety and seeking treatment means it’s something I can live with and deal with.”
These days, “it only happens to me once a year or so,” Byrne shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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After having an on-air panic attack, Byrne rejoined the broadcast, saying: “Sorry if I scared anyone a bit.”
“Not really, because you’ve already been very honest about getting panic attacks on air,” Millar said. “And it’s so great for people to know that it can happen to anyone.”
“You scared the crap out of me because I thought I was going to have to do a weather report and I’m not good at that,” joked co-host Michael Rowland, which made Byrne laugh.
The reaction on social media was mostly supportive, with many praising Byrne for being so open.
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“This is so beautiful with such support, self-acceptance and co-worker acceptance,” podcaster Rick Glassman wrote.
And as another commenter wrote, “THIS IS how we support our colleagues and normalize mental health 🩵.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education