How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay

by Jenny Lawson

Warm, insightful, and witty, the first book of advice from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson—aka the Bloggess

Jenny Lawson is full of contradictions. She’s a celebrated author but battles self-doubt, paralysis, and anxiety. She’s an award-winning humorist but struggles with treatment-resistant depression. The questions people most often ask her are, “How do you do it? How do you keep going even when it feels impossible? How do you keep creating?” This book is her answer.

In How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, Jenny shares more than one hundred humorous, heartfelt, and genuine tools and tricks that she relies on to keep her going even when her brain isn’t working properly due to depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She also offers tips to stay passionate and focused on creative endeavors, especially when everything around you is saying to give up.

With chapters like “Wash Your Brain More Than You Wash Your Bra” (sleep, you beautiful human), “Working on Easy Mode Is Still Working” (asking for accommodations is okay!), “Celebrate Good Times, Come On!” (make it a habit to celebrate the good things), and many more, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay is a balm and companion, reminding us all that we are not alone. It’s for anyone who struggles with self-doubt, guilt, motivation, and mental blocks and wants to rekindle their passion for creating. Funny, simple, empathetic, and full of hope, it will encourage you not to just survive but to find and curate joy in the face of difficult times.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Self Help, Memoir, Audiobook, Mental Health, Adult

Audiobook

First published March 31, 2026

About the author

Known for her sardonic wit and her hysterically skewed outlook on life, Jenny Lawson has made millions of people question their own sanity, as they found themselves admitting that they, too, often wondered why Jesus wasn't classified as a zombie, or laughed to the point of bladder failure when she accidentally forgot that she mailed herself a cobra. Her blog (www.thebloggess.com) is award-winning and extremely popular.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've already said this in my review of I Choose Darkness, but I'm pretty sure that Jenny Lawson is my spirit animal. (And now I'm super worried that she's going to read this and be offended because I called her an animal, but I totally don't mean it in a literal sense so please don't be mad at me, okay?) I generally don't read self-help books because I am painfully aware of my mental flaws and the steps I *should* (but obviously am not) talking to correct them, but I will read anything Lawson writes so here we are.

As someone who is very ADHD and anxiety-prone (and probably also a little autistic but I grew up in an era when the only diagnosis you got for such things was “weird,” so who knows?), reading Lawson's books are always like a balm for my soul because it's nice to know that there's someone out there who would probably “get” you if you were to meet in real life. I mean, we both have/had cats named Ferris Mewler/Meweller (there are a lot of slashes in that sentence but my Ferris has long since journeyed on to the Rainbow Bridge and I went with the more complicated spelling because if I have to suffer through having a last name that no one can ever spell, then so do my pets) and pick clothes based on their ability to camouflage cat fur (no solid black or white in this house, ever) and have no idea how makeup works, so I'm pretty sure we're basically twins.

And, okay, so maybe this book is very self-help-y and I don't really do self-help, but there are still lots of little fun anecdotes that you'd expect from a Jenny Lawson book and also some of the self-help bits were really quite meaningful and empowering and might've even made me tear up a time or two. It's not a super deep read, but there's lots of helpful advice and the chapters are short which made me very happy because long chapters are a challenge to my oft-distracted squirrel brain.

Also, I could not relate more to the chapter about her making notes on her phone and then forgetting what they mean, because I email myself notes all the time and they're always near-indecipherable. Like right now I have one in my inbox that says “eff short” and it took me days to remember that it was supposed to be a reminder to buy my husband a shirt from the Electronic Frontier Foundation for Christmas, except that I typoed “shirt” and couldn't be bothered to fix it. And then when I was reading this book I wanted to mention the above in this review, so I sent myself a message that said “emails eff short” as a reminder and I couldn't remember what that meant either. I do realize that none of this really has much to do with this book but if you confuse yourself with indecipherable notes on a regular basis, you'll probably appreciate this chapter in particular.

Anyway, if you're neurodivergent and/or struggle with your mental health, definitely consider giving this book a read. Or if you simply enjoy hippo facts and anecdotes about people farting at queens, this might be the book for you for entirely different reasons.

4.4 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Life for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 31, 2026.

[Ellen Gail]

Seeing a new Jenny Lawson book with a charming oddball lil mammal on the cover has to be a top tier human experience. This is what God created eyeballs for.

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 solid stars - I'm not into self-help books really very much, bit this is the great Blogess Jenny Lawson, whom I adore!!! And there are some pretty helpful ideas here anyone can use. BUT the biggest enjoyment comes from her wit & humor - and I'm NEVER, ever going to forget "insert sad tampon here" 🪊😜🤭🤣

[Mendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have couple of automatic authors that I will read without knowing anything about the book. And Jenny Lawson is one of them. If she published her grocery list I would immediately buy it, because let’s be real, we all know her list would be epic.

To sum up this book I could hash tag every page #yepthisisme. Iykyk


I have the ebook version but I will be immediately purchasing the physical copy on publishing date to highlight and annotate every page.

If you don’t love Jenny Lawson we can’t be friends. Sorry not sorry.

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny and I are really good friends and I would like to tell you how great this book is.

Well, Jenny and I don’t actually know each other but in this book, she says we are friends and that is enough for me! And honestly, I do feel as though I have experienced life with Jenny through her memoirs and books and doodles and Instagram posts. You don’t have to have read them to adore this title but if you’d like to add some charm and hilarity to your life, read them also.

Jenny is very upfront, whether she “should” be or not, about her various physical and emotional diagnoses and we love her for sharing the laugh-out-loud moments and the quieter, scarier ones too. Why? Because we see bits of ourselves in her. Or boulders of ourselves in her. This pertains to those of us who have been the weird sister or the awkward partner or the embarrassing aunt or all of those at once. Sometimes we shrug it off and sometimes we need a little help to get through. Jenny jotted down some of the helpful ways she gets through those moments too and they are reminders and helpful and appreciated.

Thank you, Jenny, for reminding us to organize our buttons and to “weird-on,” and bedazzle that deer head you found at the thrift shop because who else will love it?
(I did and her name is Stella Neil and she is fabulous and no longer lonely.) - Sara W.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me begin as I did last time by saying I'm an enormous fan of Jenny Lawson, so I was overjoyed to be able to read this ARC. If you have not read her before or are unfamiliar with her, you could start with this book or with any of her work. However, if you are a fan or follower or have read other things by her, this book will immediately make sense to you. As she says in the introduction, you do not have to read this book linearly. You can drop in wherever you need. Lawson wrote this book as a compilation of ways that her specific brain has gotten through when she is going through mental health struggles, which she is very open about. It could be a self help book; it could be a memoir, but that is the beauty of all of her books. She is so open with her life that you can take or leave whatever lessons are best for you, but also she is there to help us laugh as well. In addition to this book, she encourages people to share in the supportive online community she has built as well. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

[Yaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever had an intrusive thought that felt way too weird to say out loud but also desperately needed to be validated, this book is basically your emotional support group (a group of two that is you and the author).

How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay is funny, raw, wildly honest, and comforting in that very specific way where you laugh and think, “Oh, good, it’s not just me.” Jenny Lawson has a gift for turning anxiety, awkwardness, and life’s messier moments into stories that feel both hilarious and deeply human.

Reading her essays feels like chatting with your most unfiltered friend at 2 a.m., the one who overshares, makes you snort laugh, and somehow sneaks in surprising emotional depth when you least expect it. One minute I was laughing out loud, the next I was quietly nodding in recognition.

This became my perfect before bed read. A few chapters to unwind, laugh a little, and feel less alone in my own brain before calling it a night. Every essay has some small golden nugget of comfort or chaos that sticks with you.

Highly recommend for anyone who appreciates humor with heart and isn’t afraid to embrace the wonderfully weird parts of being human.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed Jenny Lawson's previous memoirs where, with dark humor she highlights her history with both physical and mental ailments. I would recommend them all! Her most recent How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay takes a different spin on her story. While she does tell some humorous stories along the way (the best part), the primary focus on the book is to highlight strategies she had used to deal with her challenges. I am really glad these coping strategies have helped Lawson, as it is so important to find ways to deal with life's challenges. While they may help others, I found it to be very therapy 101, and found myself skimming many of those sections. If I had realized this was more of a self-help book, I would have skipped it. If she goes back to essay writing, I'll read her again.

Thank you to Penguin Life for the advanced reader copy in exchange for honest review.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible audio
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Jenny Lawson is my Spirit Human :). Her books always make me feel seen and never fail to lift my mood :).

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.”

I love Jenny Lawson and have listened to all of her books, and I always recommend the audiobooks because they are fantastic. As soon as I saw this one was coming out, I added it to my TBR and (for the first time ever) preordered the audiobook. It is no surprise that I loved it just as much as her others. My only complaint is that it felt a bit too short because I can never get enough of her stories.

As always, Lawson blends humor with mental health in such a thoughtful and genuine way. In How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, she shares short essays filled with ideas that help her get through the day, make everyday tasks more enjoyable, and spark creativity.

The book itself is funny and heartfelt, but her narration takes it to another level. She has this incredible ability to shift from playful and whimsical to deeply raw and vulnerable in an instant. As someone who deals with anxiety and does not always talk about it enough, her words feel comforting and validating. It feels like sitting with a friend who truly gets it, makes you laugh, and reminds you that you are not alone. We all need a Jenny in our lives.

If you have never read one of her books, whether you struggle with mental health or just want something that will make you laugh, I highly recommend picking one up. I am already excited for whatever she writes next.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Jenny Lawson. Filled with hope, dark humor, and affirmations both small and large.

[Vonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh do I just love the sugar honey ice tea out of Jenny Lawson!! This was the badass self help book I didn’t even realize I was waiting for. I have been sitting on goals, overthinking them, doubting myself, and this book straight up told me to knock it off and go for it.

Jenny is hilarious and brutally honest and somehow makes you feel less alone while also calling you out. I laughed. I paused. I had a couple of “oh wow okay” moments where I knew she was talking directly to me.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC. I am absolutely buying the physical copy from her bookshop because this one deserves a permanent spot on my shelves. And yes, now I have a very valid reason to visit again.

[Angie Miale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was completely delightful. It is part self-help, some memoir, and some lovely doodles. I love her voice, her non-traditional writing style and her unique and ridiculously specific references. It is a story about how she has managed her anxiety, depression, and ADHD. She has true practical exercises that will help make the reader’s life better. I don’t remember laughing out loud this much at a book in a very long time. Jenny is just hilarious. This book comes with more of a maturity and accountability than from her previous books. She is taking a lot of great experience from therapy and sharing what has worked for her.

My son has severe ADHD and this book really helped me understand more what he goes through daily. I can’t wait to read it again!
4.5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC. Book to be published March 30, 2026.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Jenny Lawson since sometime in the aughts, when I discovered her blog. I have read Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy and have a signed copy of the former. I kind of feel like she hardly needs my endorsement, but here it is anyway: if you are "mentally interesting," some flavor of neurospicy, are living with a chronic illness, or care about someone who fits any of those descriptions, this book is for you.

Jenny makes those of us whose brains turn on us feel so much less alone, and she does it while being hilarious. For those who want to support someone but don't really get it, she makes bridging the gap to what your friend/partner/taxidermist is going through more accessible as well.

This book is a quick-reference guide and a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type resource (relative emergencies! Though she does provide resources for those in crisis--did you know there are text/chat support lines for those who have social anxiety and don't want to call a hotline because then you'd have to speak to a human? I didn't!).

There are helpful reminders as well as practical strategies and things to remember when you need them most but are least likely to be able to recall them, and I love that the book is structured so that you can read it straight through if you really want to or you can pick and choose from sections based on what you need in the moment.

Jenny Lawson is a treasure; she's working every day to destigmatize mental illness and being different, she's the reason I was willing to try TMS (Tranacranial Magnetic Stimulation), which has made a big difference for me at some really critical points, and the number of people whose lives she has impacted for the better--in some cases outright saved, according to notes quietly passed to her at book tours--is inspiring and/or intimidating (almost certainly both). This is very good, but you probably don't need me to tell you that.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this higher but her first book is one of my all time favorites and this just fell short. It is a stream of conscious self help book where she tells funny stories and shares how she has managed her mental health. Def some laugh out loud moments but just didn’t do it for me

[Emelie Gaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Jenny Lawson for being exactly who you are and reminding us all to stay weird and dream big.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. “How To Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay” is just what I needed. Being my first book by Jenny Lawson I was in complete surprise of how much I loved this little gem. Jenny is so relatable with her personal struggles, and that she shares what worked for her through practical tips and strategies in a funny upbeat way that you can see is “all her own.” She makes you feel seen in her purely authentic, wonderfully comedic way. ADHD is an important part of Jenny’s dynamics and with that, her living and learning daily to overcome and succeed has most certainly contributed to her can-do attitude. I loved this. Do recommend. Pub. 3/31/26

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Life for the arc. All opinions are my own.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting. Encouraging. Inspiring! Lawson's latest book is filled with hilarious and heartfelt practical advice for creatives and those struggling with their mental health. Written in twelve parts with short chapters, the book can be read straight through or by skipping to whichever section speaks to the reader in the moment the most. Long time fans will find comfort in the author's frank dark humor, profanity and willingness to share some extremely personal, unhinged anecdotes. There are also illustrations and motivational quotes sprinkled throughout. So much more than just another self-help or writing advice guide, Lawson's words are sure to bring comfort and aid to those with anxiety, chronic illness, ADHD and depression at times when they might be struggling the most. Recommended for readers who love authors like Brene Brown and Samantha Irby. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny Lawson is hilarious. And the only person I would read a book like this for. I needed it though, in this weird place I am in where I am no longer as sick as I was last year but still not back at the type of productivity I apparently need to be happy with myself (what an awful thing to conflate productivity with self worth but here it is). Thank god she's this funny because otherwise I'd have to cry.

[Beth Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny Lawson is a gift to humanity and one of my very favorite authors. This was a self help book filled with her trademark wierd humor and off the rails stories. It made me laugh out loud and it made me cry. I marked page 81 "When You Are Lost" so I can go back to it on my worst days because it was so goddamned perfect.
Thank you for reminding us all that we are not alone in both our struggles and our weirdness 💜

[Jessica Pro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Viking Penguin and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Jenny Lawson is one of only a few authors that is an automatic read for me. I actually had already pre-ordered this book but I was grateful to not have to wait! This newest book (How to be okay when nothing is ok) is essentially a mental health self-help guide but still includes all of Jenny's unique and weird humor. I loved reading her ideas and advice (sprinkled with personal stories) and seeing her cute doodles throughout the pages.

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Jenny Lawson, but this was not what I expected. It very much reads like a random compilation of therapy strategy pamphlets in book form. that can be incredibly helpful for so many people, but that's not my thing.

[Jamie Dacyczyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely more of a self-help book than a memoir....and I'm not really into self-help. There was only had one section that got me close to laughing (the preserved head bit), because the rest of it was short little bits of advice. It was good if you're into this kind of book, but I'm just not the right reader for this one. I ended up reading it in little bursts over the course of a month, mostly while watching my toddler (no lost plot if I got interrupted).

I liked this less than "Furiously Happy" and "Broken", which were laugh-out-loud funny to me ("Was that a snake?!"). Those two are endlessly rereadable to me, but this one will be a one time read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a couple of her other books years ago when I was in a different stage of life. They spoke to me, I found them hilarious, and I could relate more to her back then. I think I’m just the wrong audience for this particular book. It focused heavily on “hacks” for ADHD, writer’s block, and for people in the creative industries. Was hoping for a deeper discussion on depression. Her humor is cute but seemed a little young for me now? Made me feel old 😞

[Dramapuppy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jenny Lawson is falling into that trap where she got famous for being relatable but is now so famous that she’s unrelatable

[Maven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, she’s done it again, written a humorous, honest, thoughtful, painful, foray into her life. Sharing so many pieces of one’s self with the world is brave and scary but the approachable tone makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. So many of my coworkers are waiting patiently for it to publish, but rose,rose, thorn, bud has already made it into our conversation. Thanks NetGalley for letting me read this early and being able to start getting people excited about it.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly my "cup of mashed potatoes." (Side note, autocorrect wrote 'madness potatoes' which is even better!)
The book is full of helpful suggestions and thoughts that sometimes I get to on my own but not always. Jenny has a way of writing that is very much the way I find myself thinking so it's kind of like having a chat with myself, or at least someone who really gets it.
I will also say that it was nice to have the sections in small portions so I could divvy up my potatoes into enjoyable bits instead of massive servings. When things are already overwhelming it's hard enough to focus and this format was just right.

My theme to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Ideezy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Jenny Lawson does it again (this time aimed directly at her reader)!

Lawson’s newest book is part memoir and part self-help book. While she shares, more than a couple of times, that she doesn’t feel qualified to offer advice, long-time readers of hers would beg to differ.

She approaches difficult topics with a style we’ve become accustomed to: ease, humor, vulnerability, and kindness.

Highly recommend grabbing this book if you’re in the trenches with her, if you want a peek behind the curtain, or if you just want a laugh served with rough topics.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love Jenny Lawson! This book is best described as an unhinged self-help book. She touches on so many topics that relate to everyone. Her style of humor makes serious conversations and topics easier to approach. I love her writing and chaotic energy. I love that this book is written in a way that you can pick up and read any section at any time depending on what you need.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice self-help book comprised of essays with actionable tips for dealing with things like depression, anxiety, and self-doubt, along with bits of humor here and there. I enjoyed Lawson's memoirs (and coloring book) more, but the next time I find myself in a dark place, this is one I can flip through again looking for inspiration regarding how to forge my way through.