Volume Control: a guidebook for highly sensitive people in a loud & spiky world

by Jen Butler, Andrea Mendis (cover artist)

Volume Control is a quirky, doodled guidebook that Jen Butler (@jenbutlersays) wrote for herself when she realized that she had the emotional regulation skills of an overtired toddler. (She was in her thirties, so it wasn't cute anymore.) Her sensitivities were maxed out, making daily life feel impossible. Emotionally, she swung between unbearable lows and scary highs. Her loved ones walked on eggshells around her, fearing one wrong word could trigger an existential meltdown.

At first, she thought the solution was to train everyone else to never hurt her feelings. When that failed (miserably), she focused on what she could control: her mental and emotional health. Over the course of five years, Jen compiled her most helpful tips, tricks, and perspective-shifts into Volume Control. This choose-your-own-adventure guidebook helps readers build their own emotional regulation toolkit. Jen cuts through the noise of typical self-help books with her refreshing honesty, humor, doodles, and practical, down-to-earth support.

There's also a dedicated section for supporters, with analogies, encouragement, and actionable steps to stay healthy (and, um, sane) while supporting a highly sensitive loved one.

Since life doesn't come with a strategy guide, Jen created her own. Now, she's sharing it with you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

346 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2024

Reviews

[Ashley Ottesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never been one for self help books, because I never found them to be particularly helpful (excluding The Artist’s Way) This guidebook however is spectacular. It is one that you will reference again and again as you face varying emotional hardships. And perhaps the one book I wouldn’t cringe to dog ear, highlight and write in.

I truly believe this guidebook to be one for everyone, not just the highly sensitive. As we all can experience big emotions (some more frequently than others) and have difficulty navigating them. It’s also one to read for people who have someone in their life who needs a helping hand. This book can teach you how you can support your friend/family members in times of emotional need.

I’m grateful to Jen for her vulnerability with the creation of this guidebook. She may not be a doctor or a therapist but she’s lived it. She’s been in the thick of “the sauce” and has pulled through, and is now sharing what has helped her to do so.

As a highly sensitive recovering people pleaser, this book has a valued place on my shelf. With easy access for frequent reference.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs this book. Whether you are a highly sensitive person or love one, this book is both insightful and powerfully engaging. I feel safer in my own skin after reading this book and also feel better equipped to navigate my own and other people’s experiences. Highly recommend following @jenbutlersays on IG and gifting this book to the sensitive people in your life.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a really compassionate, encouraging & empowering book to help those who experience really big overwhelming feelings & struggle to thrive in a life that feels so challenging. It also includes helpful notes and tips for the people that love and support those living with an emotionally loud brain. I really enjoyed Jen’s humor throughout the book, and I loved the authenticity she brought to sharing her own life challenges & the tools she’s discovered to help her survive and thrive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling and to anyone who loves & wants to support someone else who is struggling.

[Cee Bee Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Volume Control and couldn't wait to share my appreciation for it. The author, Jen Butler, shares deeply personal insights from her own emotional and mental health experiences. However, her writing is far from being a depressing read. Through her comical doodles and personal stories, she has crafted a book that tackles a serious topic with grace and humor. The book is filled with practical advice that many will find beneficial. The chapter on being a better "Supporter" really stood out to me. The tips will help me support the highly sensitive loved ones in my life. I highly recommend it!

[Linda Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume Control walks a nicely balanced line between comic camaraderie, practical tools, and heartwarming advice. Feels like friendship in a reference book. Definitely recommend for those of us who have had patterns of highs and lows in life and still feel subject to them.

[Sherry McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the most practical, empathetic, and immediately helpful resource I’ve come across for all the times we ask “Why do I feel this way?” and “What can I do about it – right now?”

The author’s ingenuous “Pick your own adventure” table of contents provides a mechanism for readers to identify how they are currently feeling, align it best to the author’s descriptions, and turn to the appropriate section for immediate consumption of effective ideas. The doodles, personal stories, and hilarious footnotes, create the atmosphere of having a good honest gab with a very candid, funny, and wise friend.

I’ve been so impressed with this approach, that I’ve starting tracking my own observations in a similar manner to manage my physical health and emotional health.

I’ve got a digital and physical version of this book so that I can access it whenever I need wherever I am. I have also purchased extra copies and have gifted them to others. I consider this book one of the most important tools in my personal growth.

Jen Butler has been there, but she’s not staying there. I’m so grateful she’s found a way to drag us up out of the ick with her.

[Mariana Tiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't express how much this book helped me feel seen. I absolutely loved it and will recommend to everyone I know. Jen is an emotion wizard and I appreciate so much se fought her demons to write this book.

[Pea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of practical tips and reassurance for folks who ride an emotional rollercoaster through life.

While I read it through from start to end, it's also useful when someone is at a certain emotional level to dip into to soothe/get ideas for how to cope.

Highly recommended.