I'm not sure what I expected when I randomly searched "anxiety" in Libby and checked out the first book that was available that looked interesting. I'd been feeling more and more anxious and wanted to read about anxiety.

This turned out to be a great read for me. I wasn't looking for medical advice or self-help. I was looking for a philosophical/personal exploration of anxiety -- and that's just what Sarah Wilson provides. This book is really more of a memoir, not science or medical advice.

The main takeaway of this book for me was to frame anxiety as existential. In other words, at the bottom of all my small worries are big worries -- meaning of life kinda stuff. It helps to think of my anxiety as a symptom of caring. In that sense, I don't have to resist it, I can sit in it. Like one of those finger traps you can only get out of when you stop trying to get out of it.

I also liked how Wilson calls not-anxious people "life naturals." Does being alive come naturally to you? Then you might be a Life Natural.

Wilson made me want to read Montaigne, so now I have [b:How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer|7624457|How to Live A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer|Sarah Bakewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320521919l/7624457._SX50_.jpg|10108715] checked out. ( )

Anxiety folks, check this out!

It isn't perfect but I am already planning to buy this in paperback (I just listened to the audiobook which is read by the author) so I can highlight and tab it! ( )

Actually 3.5 stars. This review will be longer than my usual reviews because this was, for me, an unusual book. I listened to the audiobook. Sarah Wilson is Australian, and she narrates the book herself. Most authors are not good narrators, but she does ok, and her Australian accent makes the book slightly more appealing than it would otherwise have been.

The author comes to this book with some excellent creds having written the book "I Quit Sugar" along with several other books tied to that book (how to's, cookbooks, etc). She has a reputation for doing thorough research and for writing well. Those things apply to this book about anxiety. That's the good part. She sites studies, gives numerous examples, quotes many reputable and highly regarded writers, scientists, experts in meditation, psychiatrists, yogi's and others.

So what's the downside? She writes the book in the first person, it's emotional, autobiographical, frustrating, depressing, somewhat scattered across time, place, events, aspects of her issues and problems and more. I'm tempted to say that the first half of the book (about 4 hours of the audiobook) is just a hot mess. She is a basket case with numerous physical and mental issues. Most of those issues somewhat relate to anxiety, but they are not typical for the average person. She has Hashimoto's disease. She has ADHD, she has depression, she's attempted suicide several times. This makes the book an emotional roller coaster, and i found myself often saying "I don't have those problems, i'm just overwhelmed by anxiety sometimes".

Half way through the book, the author finally settles down and talks more directly about anxiety, her experiences, and things that have helped her. That part of the book was helpful. I also found myself saying "Well, if she found hope and help with all her physical and emotional problems, then there is hope for me and for others". That's what makes this a book worth wading through. I just want anyone reading my review to know that the trip through this book will not be easy or at times, seem at all worthwhile. However, there is good information once you get through her self-centered expressions of poor me, i'm such a mess, and into the more useful part of how she has come to deal with her life. ( )

I can't give this more than 3 1/2 stars because of the very misleading subtitle. The author, who sounds like a delightful person and has had many professional successes, has been diagnosed as bipolar (she also describes her OCD, self harming and PTSD). She continually interprets episodes of mania and her other issues as anxiety and doesn't seem aware of how extreme some of her behavior is. Along the way, she shares many insights but she also freely acknowledges that she's not in very good shape at all mentally. I really can't recommend this book for anyone living with anxiety, particularly young people or those who are newly diagnosed with anxiety, as they may worry that this is their future. But for those who have a person with mental illness in their lives and who feel confident that this will not trigger them, it certainly makes for a thought-provoking read. ( )

This is a really excellent book about living with anxiety.

The author is not a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or any other kind of medical professional. She's an author and journalist, and a woman who lives with chronic anxiety. Over a lifetime of dealing with it, she became interested in understanding what it is, where it comes from, and history of treatment for it, including the fads and fashions that affect medical treatment.

Some of what she has to say may strike some as borderline woo-woo, but she's very clear about talking to medical professionals knowledgeable on the subject to ensure that known of her advice is safe, and the importance of medical support when you're going off medication.

Also, medication is really helpful for some people, and not as helpful to others. She's also really clear about the need to pay attention to how you react, not how other people tell you you should be reacting.

A very important aspect of this book is that she talks about the positive aspects of anxiety. No, not kidding. Anxiety can push you to make the projects you're working on better, or alert you to the fact that you're going in the wrong direction altogether. It pushes us to be that little bit more perfectionist. We see evidence of anxiety and depression in other primates--and the primate troops that have some percentage of members so affected have higher survival rates. Why? The anxious and the depressed are hanging out on the edges of the group, paying attention to things the others aren't, and sometimes that's life-saving.

No population could survive with only the anxious and the depressed, but having some benefits the whole community.

So learn to use your anxiety, and also pay attention to what really helps you cope--medication, meditation, long runs on the beach, or, in my case, a dog who responds to my moods and my needs, and will go as far as pulling me toward an exit if I'm getting over-stimulated by the place where we are.

You're not broken; you have different strengths and challenges than most people. Pay attention to what helps you, and be aware of your strengths.

Very much recommended!

Borrowed from my local library. ( )