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Same Time Next Week?: Living with anxiety in the modern world
'Fresh, innovative, humorous and, above all, human' Owen O'Kane, bestselling author of Addicted to Anxiety
'Wise, irreverent and hilariously astute, an essential read for our modern age' Catherine Gray, bestselling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
'I loved this book so much. It is like a giant exhale in the face of our "quick fix" culture' Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things
Same Time Next Week? is an unflinchingly honest guide to living with anxiety in an age of constant optimisation, digital overload and curated calm.
Millions now turn to AI for therapy before they turn to a human, often leaving them with more questions than answers. In this refreshingly honest book, therapist Joshua Fletcher shares the stories of four brave clients who choose to bring their whole selves to his therapy room and learn to make space for the messy feelings that won't quite fit into an AI prompt box.
Alongside the stories of Miriam, Ruben, Liya Su and Magnus, Josh shares his experience of returning to practice after wrestling with his own mental health challenges. Through these hopeful stories, Josh offers invaluable insights on how to manage anxiety in our modern world and resist the overwhelming pressure to be perfect.
This is not a book about fixing yourself because you are not a problem to be solved. In this book you'll learn how to better understand your anxiety and, by slowing down and building the right support, find a way to live a fulfilling life alongside it.
'Wise, irreverent and hilariously astute, an essential read for our modern age' Catherine Gray, bestselling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
'I loved this book so much. It is like a giant exhale in the face of our "quick fix" culture' Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things
Same Time Next Week? is an unflinchingly honest guide to living with anxiety in an age of constant optimisation, digital overload and curated calm.
Millions now turn to AI for therapy before they turn to a human, often leaving them with more questions than answers. In this refreshingly honest book, therapist Joshua Fletcher shares the stories of four brave clients who choose to bring their whole selves to his therapy room and learn to make space for the messy feelings that won't quite fit into an AI prompt box.
Alongside the stories of Miriam, Ruben, Liya Su and Magnus, Josh shares his experience of returning to practice after wrestling with his own mental health challenges. Through these hopeful stories, Josh offers invaluable insights on how to manage anxiety in our modern world and resist the overwhelming pressure to be perfect.
This is not a book about fixing yourself because you are not a problem to be solved. In this book you'll learn how to better understand your anxiety and, by slowing down and building the right support, find a way to live a fulfilling life alongside it.
Audible Audio
Published May 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 1, 2026
Absolutely loved this. I listened to it on audio, really captured me. Great insight into anxiety
May 17, 2026
Such a great book! I really enjoyed it and I found it super helpful as a therapist in training. Such an important reminder that AI will never be able to fully replace human therapists, because humanity offers something that computers could never, which is connection. I liked how he explained how important it is to sit with feelings instead of jumping to something in order to ‘fix’ anxiety. It was humorous and so educational. I’m a bit sensitive to cursing but apart from that I did love it!
June 22, 2026
“Compassion fatigue is something that affects all of us, even us therapists. It’s a hurdle we all must jump over from time to time.”
— Joshua Fletcher, Same Time Next Week?
Same Time Next Week? by Joshua Fletcher is an unflinching account of what happens inside a therapy room in a world where AI has the upper hand. We see technology permeating every aspect of our lives and penetrating different fields.
“Anxiety doesn’t disappear through logic or willpower alone.”
Fletcher also acknowledges the voices in his head, even when he is talking to other people. By opening up about his own mental health struggles, he offers valuable insights into how to navigate them. He has coined the term “Internal Commentators,” which spans eleven elements. Some of them include Anxiety, the Critic, the Analytical Mind, Biology, and even Empathy.
The book opens with a scenario in which Fletcher feels like “garbage” and senses his imposter syndrome kicking in. This is when his supervisor, Gail, intervenes. One of her statements that goes like - ”Now you're talking about what you uniquely can offer. That's the difference between a therapist who's hiding behind techniques and one who's learned to trust themselves.”
The narrative then goes on to describe the case studies of Miriam (an aspiring therapist), Ruben (someone facing financial difficulties), Liya Su (a social media enthusiast), and Magnus (who has been diagnosed with agoraphobia), whose real identities have been hidden to maintain confidentiality.
Reading this book reminded me, in parts, of the autobiographical account I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-Hee. Reading Baek Se-Hee’s work was a therapeutic experience—one that invited introspection.
Overall, Same Time Next Week? does not read like a conventional self-help manual. Instead, it aims to help readers find emotional balance. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to live with anxiety in a fast-paced world.
“This book doesn’t promise to eradicate feelings you don’t like; instead, it invites you to allow more.”
— Joshua Fletcher, Same Time Next Week?
Same Time Next Week? by Joshua Fletcher is an unflinching account of what happens inside a therapy room in a world where AI has the upper hand. We see technology permeating every aspect of our lives and penetrating different fields.
“Anxiety doesn’t disappear through logic or willpower alone.”
Fletcher also acknowledges the voices in his head, even when he is talking to other people. By opening up about his own mental health struggles, he offers valuable insights into how to navigate them. He has coined the term “Internal Commentators,” which spans eleven elements. Some of them include Anxiety, the Critic, the Analytical Mind, Biology, and even Empathy.
The book opens with a scenario in which Fletcher feels like “garbage” and senses his imposter syndrome kicking in. This is when his supervisor, Gail, intervenes. One of her statements that goes like - ”Now you're talking about what you uniquely can offer. That's the difference between a therapist who's hiding behind techniques and one who's learned to trust themselves.”
The narrative then goes on to describe the case studies of Miriam (an aspiring therapist), Ruben (someone facing financial difficulties), Liya Su (a social media enthusiast), and Magnus (who has been diagnosed with agoraphobia), whose real identities have been hidden to maintain confidentiality.
Reading this book reminded me, in parts, of the autobiographical account I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-Hee. Reading Baek Se-Hee’s work was a therapeutic experience—one that invited introspection.
Overall, Same Time Next Week? does not read like a conventional self-help manual. Instead, it aims to help readers find emotional balance. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to live with anxiety in a fast-paced world.
“This book doesn’t promise to eradicate feelings you don’t like; instead, it invites you to allow more.”
June 15, 2026
I enjoyed this and thought it was well timed considered the amount of AI we find surrounding ourselves these days.
Especially interesting to me was the warning against relying on AI agents for self help, conversation, and substitutes for real people. This resonated with me as I'm someone who has played around with a kind of self help agent. I think I'm skirting just on the healthy side but he makes some great points about the quiet creep of fake experiences.
I wonder if the author played Disco Elysium because the way he narrated his internal thoughts from the perspectives of different aspects of his personality worked really well and I'd not encountered it in serious writing before.
The biggest takeaway, and it really isn't a new concept, is that anxiety is a survival mechanism - just allow it to do it's job - but don't be ruled by it.
Especially interesting to me was the warning against relying on AI agents for self help, conversation, and substitutes for real people. This resonated with me as I'm someone who has played around with a kind of self help agent. I think I'm skirting just on the healthy side but he makes some great points about the quiet creep of fake experiences.
I wonder if the author played Disco Elysium because the way he narrated his internal thoughts from the perspectives of different aspects of his personality worked really well and I'd not encountered it in serious writing before.
The biggest takeaway, and it really isn't a new concept, is that anxiety is a survival mechanism - just allow it to do it's job - but don't be ruled by it.
June 21, 2026
Witty, insightful, perfect ! I feel like this book was also some kind of catharsis for the author , and reading it as a student practitioner makes me feel better, like we all human, with same doubts , fears and whatever else makes us who we are . Sitting with anxiety makes a lot of sense as much as we don’t like it. Looking forward to the next one!
June 8, 2026
Another brilliant Josh Fletcher book! I could relate to so much of it - not just as a trainee therapist but as a client too.
June 22, 2026
It was great to read about a therapists point of view of what therapy involves. Very insightful.
June 26, 2026
compassion fatigue is an epidemic x
July 2, 2026
Another excellent book by Joshua Fletcher - heart felt, insightful and empathetic
July 14, 2026
For a book that’s about coping in a world with AI, it really feels like this has been written with the aid of ChatGPT??
Good messaging but terribly bland, boring writing. 👎🏻
Good messaging but terribly bland, boring writing. 👎🏻
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews