30
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APR. 22-28, 2022 BXR
Pelham Bay native writes book about
how photography helped his anxiety
Pelham Bay’s Nick Cicogna authored “Through the Lens of Anxiety,” which details some of the hardest
moments in his life and how receiving his first camera in 1999 helped him battle anxiety. Photo
BY JASON COHEN
Bronx native Nick Cicogna has dealt
with anxiety for 30 years, but photography
helped him cope with his struggles
and even led him to publish a book about
the ups and downs of his journey.
In June 2021, Cicogna, 42, released
“Through the Lens of Anxiety,” which details
some of the hardest moments in his
life and how receiving his first camera in
1999 helped him battle anxiety.
Using photography gave him a reason
to explore new places and at the same
time look through the lens of the camera
and focus on what’s in front of him. The
book features more than 70 photos, including
many from the Bronx and a scavenger
hunt with 100 items/scenarios to give
people the inspiration to get out and photograph
what’s in front of them.
“I want people to know they’re not
alone when they’re dealing with anxiety,”
he told the Bronx Times. “There was a
time it was hard for me to deal with anxiety
and panic attacks.”
Cicogna, of Connecticut, was born and
raised in the Pelham Bay section of the
Bronx and graduated from Lehman High
School in 1997. His parents divorced when
he was just 9, and a year later he experienced
his first anxiety attack on a school
trip to City Island.
He felt like the walls were closing in
and since then, has had panic attacks for
nearly three decades.
For several years things were tough,
and it was hard for him to even leave the
house. But what really helped him overcome
the panic was his love for photography.
His late father, Nick, a former cop in
Mount Vernon, passed the love of the camera
onto his son. They took photos together
in Rhode Island, of the Twin Towers, the
Bronx and many other places. While his
dad passed away in 2000, Cicogna carried
on their love for photography.
“It was something we bonded over,”
Cicogna said.
According to Cicogna, the camera has
provided him comfort, but it did not solve
everything. Over the years, he would get
anxious in social situations and on long
trips — in 2008, he lost his job and divorced
from his wife. After not wanting
to leave the house in 2019, Cicogna felt the
need to tell his story and hopefully help
others like him.
“I experienced a bad wave of panic attacks
in 2019,” he said.
Laid off during the pandemic in 2020,
Cicogna decided to write a book about his
battle with anxiety.
“Through the Lens of Anxiety,” was
originally planned to be a dark book about
anxiety and depression, but he chose a
more upbeat tone that focused on how his
photography helped him cope.
“I knew I couldn’t write a novel,” he
said. “I thought maybe this could help
other people.”
While he has not sold a lot of copies so
far, he hopes people learn from his story
and realize that depression and anxiety
can be dealt with. Whether it was taking
pictures of the Bronx, different baseball
stadiums or sites throughout the country,
having a camera in his hand gives him
peace.
Now with a new job in marketing, seeing
a therapist and the guidance of his
mom, June, sister, Nicole and wife, Trish,
things are finally headed in the right direction.
“They’re proud of me for putting my
story out there,” he said.
courtesy Nick Cicogna
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