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Calm the F**k Down
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304 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 982 reviews
November 15, 2018
I don’t normally read self help books, but this title just spoke to me. Because those who know me, will tell you that’s how I talk. And I definitely suffer from anxiety, so why not give it a try?
As you would expect from the title, the author’s style is very flippant. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have some good points. As she says in the Author’s Note, this is basically an extended Serenity Prayer - change what you can, accept what you can’t and be wise enough to know the difference.
Will her suggestions work? Maybe. Knight does acknowledge it will all take practice. And sometimes her answers are a little smug and cavalier. Telling someone to get some sleep and deal with the problem tomorrow is great, but doesn’t really work if anxiety has made you into a hard core insomniac. Think I haven’t already tried deep breathing, meditation, etc.?
But I can guarantee that you will chuckle frequently while reading this book.
FYI, Ms. Knight has strong opinions about the current president. Fair warning if you happen to be a fan of his. I am not. As someone who agrees with her opinion of the “orange howler monkey”, I appreciated her passing on the tip about watching @PepitoTheCat.
My thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown for an advance copy of this book.
January 10, 2019
I must say, 2019 is not off to a great start. The more I thought about the last book I reviewed, the angrier I got, and this one is likely to be the same.
A few years ago, I listened to Knight's "Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck" and I liked it--funny, relevant, some good ideas. So, with anxiety about the new school year growing, I thought "Calm the F*ck Down" would at least provide a laugh.
Nope. Wrong.
Knight's narration was annoying and self-involved ("please give me 5 stars" e.g.). Her theories for dealing with anxiety were so incredibly basic they were laughable (plan, assess how possible--seriously?). She claims to have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but if the things she's worried about are the ones she discusses in the book (a tarantula, missing a flight) and can be dealt with in the ways she suggests (moving the spider, planning), then I wish I had her anxiety disorder!
Incredibly disappointing!
A few years ago, I listened to Knight's "Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck" and I liked it--funny, relevant, some good ideas. So, with anxiety about the new school year growing, I thought "Calm the F*ck Down" would at least provide a laugh.
Nope. Wrong.
Knight's narration was annoying and self-involved ("please give me 5 stars" e.g.). Her theories for dealing with anxiety were so incredibly basic they were laughable (plan, assess how possible--seriously?). She claims to have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but if the things she's worried about are the ones she discusses in the book (a tarantula, missing a flight) and can be dealt with in the ways she suggests (moving the spider, planning), then I wish I had her anxiety disorder!
Incredibly disappointing!
October 17, 2022
Calm the F**k Down by Sarah Knight was an easy read, however, it is not a page-turner. Here Sarah is using her experiences and suggests various coping mechanisms to deal with the emotional struggle such as anxiety, sadness etc. The author is using some explicit language maybe to overcome procrastination or give some bustling. I liked this book despite the swear phrases.
December 29, 2018
Special thanks to Sarah Knight and Little Brown and Company for providing me with this book for free.
I'm not into "Self-Help" as genre, I don't understand its purpose.
So why did I read this book?
Because it was free and because I've been feeling a little more stress and anxiety then usual. Calm The F*ck Down is book 4 of Sarah Knight's No F*cks Given Guide, but I had never even heard of her. A quick Google search told me that she's kind of a big deal.
Like most self help guides Calm the F*ck Down doesn't have any groundbreaking advice. Its all things that anyone with basic common sense already knows. Things like Panicking won't help you, Don't worry about things you can't control, Don't hide from your problems, and think about your problem logically.
We all know these things but that doesn't mean we actually do them. I mean I know that I shouldn't eat an entire bag of mini Reese's Peanut butter cups in one day but I still did just that on Thursday. I regret NOTHING!
If self help is your thing and you love sarcastic profanity filled advice then pick up a copy of this book. Even if you're like me and you don't like self help you might enjoy this book.
I liked this more than I thought but if I hadn't received this for free I probably won't have bought it. If you're on the fence maybe get a copy from the library or maybe you're lucky enough to have me as a sister, because I plan on giving my copy to my sister.
I'm not into "Self-Help" as genre, I don't understand its purpose.
So why did I read this book?
Because it was free and because I've been feeling a little more stress and anxiety then usual. Calm The F*ck Down is book 4 of Sarah Knight's No F*cks Given Guide, but I had never even heard of her. A quick Google search told me that she's kind of a big deal.
Like most self help guides Calm the F*ck Down doesn't have any groundbreaking advice. Its all things that anyone with basic common sense already knows. Things like Panicking won't help you, Don't worry about things you can't control, Don't hide from your problems, and think about your problem logically.
We all know these things but that doesn't mean we actually do them. I mean I know that I shouldn't eat an entire bag of mini Reese's Peanut butter cups in one day but I still did just that on Thursday. I regret NOTHING!
If self help is your thing and you love sarcastic profanity filled advice then pick up a copy of this book. Even if you're like me and you don't like self help you might enjoy this book.
I liked this more than I thought but if I hadn't received this for free I probably won't have bought it. If you're on the fence maybe get a copy from the library or maybe you're lucky enough to have me as a sister, because I plan on giving my copy to my sister.
February 2, 2019
This book I would have to say is the worst book I have read for advice. The made up lingo and the nonsense that you have to sift through in order to get the point that is trying to be made is horrendous. The author makes it clear that she is not a doctor or formally educated in anything that warrants a book on advice giving, however her writing makes me not calm ironically. The examples given are a joke and basically an elementary student could have done better with less personal experience. Not a recommendation I would give to anyone in my opinion.
December 31, 2018
**Listened via audible**
Everyone raves about Sarah Knights books so I thought I would give this a go - this book really appealed to me. Unfortunately I felt it very self indulgent and a lot of waffle! I didn’t get anything from it! So disappointing!
Everyone raves about Sarah Knights books so I thought I would give this a go - this book really appealed to me. Unfortunately I felt it very self indulgent and a lot of waffle! I didn’t get anything from it! So disappointing!
January 1, 2019
Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life is another great self-help book from my favorite self-help guru and goddess, Sarah Knight. What is always most refreshing about her books is the way in which she offers encouragement with humor, whit, and raw honesty. There is never any judgment or room for remorse but instead, her books offer solace and a calm quiet voice in midst of the sh*t storm of life. As I enter into 2019, I could not feel more equipped to tackle my fears and learn to manage my freakouts with grace and complete calmness! Overall, I highly recommend Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life to anyone seeking a better life! I look forward to reading more greatness from Ms. Knight!
*ARC graciously provided in exchange for an honest review!
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July 1, 2019
This book was such an incredible waste of time. It took everything inside of me to finish it, and I did, but only because I have a thing with finishing books I start. The entire tone of the book felt as if I was being lectured by a college freshman who just passed Psych 101 with a B+. The “advice” is so incredibly basic: go to bed & worry about your problems tomorrow, don’t worry about things you can’t control, prioritize your problems. I could go on & on but I rather not. Additionally, the scenarios & examples given in the book to get over anxiety were outlandish and simple minded. For example, how to deal with not turning in a paper on time, a spider getting into your house, your friend being mad at you, etc. When the author finally got into heavier sources of anxiety, it was so obvious she had no idea how to help anyone through divorce, infertility, death etc, she just glazed over it with the same common sense advice. This is easily the worst book I have ever read & the constant advertising plug ins for her other books & reviews were pathetic.
Read
April 15, 2019DNF (did not finish). This book started with a message I needed to hear (stop worrying about the things you can't control, and be proactive and take action for the things you can control--even a little). Simple, yet insightful, plus humorous. But I couldn't finish it. It got too muddled in the middle--trying to make the simple message too complex. Plus the more I read, the author's humor and writing style grew abrasive and "not funny."
January 15, 2019
Colossal waste of time. And I barely got through the first chapter. Horribly written. No real help was offered and if there was, it had to be hidden in her constant quips. Ugh. What an obnoxious human being.
Read
January 26, 2019Woe is me! It didn’t end up being as helpful as I hoped it would (for a few specific reasons that might have more to do with my personal brand of anxiety differing from the author’s). I’m still deciding on a final rating. RTC
September 30, 2020
The author likes to mention how she gets paid to write these books and use the f-word as many times as possible. We get it. You don't have to keep repeating it. In fact, you don't need to say it at all.
I ended up skimming this book. It could've been shortened to an article or blog post, in my opinion, and been more useful.
I ended up skimming this book. It could've been shortened to an article or blog post, in my opinion, and been more useful.
April 3, 2022
This was my first foray into Sarah Knight’s self-help anti-guru content, and I have to say that I had a fun time. Her writing is clever and hilarious. Even if the techniques in this book don’t help you to, well, calm the f*ck down, listening to the audiobook sure will!
A lot of the book is really common sense, but it was nice to have it articulated in a witty and logical way, so I’ll be well-equipped the next time I start to get stressed out about something (It’s Sunday, so basically I’ll be testing this out tomorrow morning)
A lot of the book is really common sense, but it was nice to have it articulated in a witty and logical way, so I’ll be well-equipped the next time I start to get stressed out about something (It’s Sunday, so basically I’ll be testing this out tomorrow morning)
June 26, 2019
She wants us to calm us down, but her arrogance and stressful way of writing just freaked me out more haha. Wont finish it
January 27, 2020
I had no idea stupidity could reach this level. Never cursing again. Thanks Sarah.
Read
April 16, 2019dnf - I cannot handle all the cute-sy, trying to be funny (BUT ARE NOT FUNNY BC THIS AUTHOR ISN'T FUNNY) quips and anecdotes while talking about something serious. Her little "remember the tarantula in the living room?" lessons are flipping insulting and insufferable.
October 18, 2021
Familiar with Sarah Wright’s books borrowed this on audio from the library Overdrive app for a fun read upon stumbling upon it looking for a different book.
This book is for you if calm isn't your inclination. Or, you need new ideas to find problem-solving skills during self-perceived challenges.
Like, the phone was stolen or in my case crushed, or smaller anxiety driving challenges disrupt your peace.
Such as, you're late for a presentation to the toast burned and you're later for college what the heck are ya gonna eat now. You’ll most certainly starve the type of drama.
I found this book could be helpful to almost anyone who has ever been stressed or suffers from anxiety issues.
The author is vulnerable, funny, and solution-oriented. While pointing out this book isn't meant to be an empathy guide. It's designed to assist individuals' problems to love new ways to deal with perceived events and redesign managing peace.
I found the book validating how I manage, but really was more curious how to understand others who suffer anxiety better. To be supportive and more empathetic. Plus, have new choices to recommend if someone is seeking their solutions.
Thought this review was helpful to share for anyone reading this who might be seeking a resource for fun since anxiety isn't. A little levity could be calming while practicing new strategies described within the book.
Plus, an author who is a vulnerable person being straight to the point. Like a best friend you wish you had who tells you the truth you long to know. But, refuse to listen to anyone telling you.
A spider as big as a melon with seven legs is what sticks to my memory best about this funny, resourceful, full of strategy and ideas guide to practicing taking down the anxiety thermometer several notches to living a more peaceful and smile-filled day.
Hope this helps you find what works for you 😁
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is for you if calm isn't your inclination. Or, you need new ideas to find problem-solving skills during self-perceived challenges.
Like, the phone was stolen or in my case crushed, or smaller anxiety driving challenges disrupt your peace.
Such as, you're late for a presentation to the toast burned and you're later for college what the heck are ya gonna eat now. You’ll most certainly starve the type of drama.
I found this book could be helpful to almost anyone who has ever been stressed or suffers from anxiety issues.
The author is vulnerable, funny, and solution-oriented. While pointing out this book isn't meant to be an empathy guide. It's designed to assist individuals' problems to love new ways to deal with perceived events and redesign managing peace.
I found the book validating how I manage, but really was more curious how to understand others who suffer anxiety better. To be supportive and more empathetic. Plus, have new choices to recommend if someone is seeking their solutions.
Thought this review was helpful to share for anyone reading this who might be seeking a resource for fun since anxiety isn't. A little levity could be calming while practicing new strategies described within the book.
Plus, an author who is a vulnerable person being straight to the point. Like a best friend you wish you had who tells you the truth you long to know. But, refuse to listen to anyone telling you.
A spider as big as a melon with seven legs is what sticks to my memory best about this funny, resourceful, full of strategy and ideas guide to practicing taking down the anxiety thermometer several notches to living a more peaceful and smile-filled day.
Hope this helps you find what works for you 😁
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 11, 2019
Great book for people who deal with anxiety.
It's about using logic and walking yourself through the process, and not taking yourself so seriously.
You have to ask yourself the "Question to Rule them All" - can I control this? and if you can't then stop worrying and thinking about it.
You can't control everything, and you need to realize and accept this. Control means that you can make your own outcome but sometimes you have to trust and let others help. You can only change yourslelf, not others.
I like her approach - it's like a literary pep talk & action plan to help you stay motivated, calm down, and let go of the stuff that's causing you problems
It's about using logic and walking yourself through the process, and not taking yourself so seriously.
You have to ask yourself the "Question to Rule them All" - can I control this? and if you can't then stop worrying and thinking about it.
You can't control everything, and you need to realize and accept this. Control means that you can make your own outcome but sometimes you have to trust and let others help. You can only change yourslelf, not others.
I like her approach - it's like a literary pep talk & action plan to help you stay motivated, calm down, and let go of the stuff that's causing you problems
December 22, 2018
Sarah Knight has a knack of letting you know you need to get your head out of your ass and get a grip on your life and how you handle what you can’t control. Yes, it’s quirky and funny in her descriptions of how to do just that but it also makes you pause and think about how you can make some legit changes. And how to CALM THE FUCK DOWN!
Thanks to Little Brown for this early copy:)
Thanks to Little Brown for this early copy:)
March 19, 2019
3.5 stars
This was my first ever audiobook. Let's be real: I might never enjoy listening to novels. I like to imagine characters' voices and accents in my own head and I like to read as quickly or as slowly as I want to to enjoy certain paragraphs. Therefore - fiction audiobooks, not for me. But this? This was fun.
I have been wanting to try and read some non-fiction (most likely self help) books for a while. However, since reading novels is so much more fun (at least for me), I usually give up on non-fiction books pretty early on. Therefore, when I found this little gem in audio form, I decided to take my chances with it. And what do you know, I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty fun (and productive) to listen to someone tell me how to deal with my sh*t while cleaning my apartment or walking home.
Since this is my first book on this topic, I can't very well evaluate its methods. I don't think it taught me any mind shattering techniques to help me overcome my anxiety. However, it did occupy my mind for a while and it did make me laugh a fair number of times, so that's an added bonus. Honestly, this book was hilarious. Especially the opening chapter made me actually laugh out loud several times. However, if you don't like profanity, maybe stay away from this, since the auther does swear quite often (as you could have guess from the title).
For now, I'm trying to think and act according to Knight's tips, but I'm not sure I will be able to do that once something stressful happens. We will see I guess. Wish me luck.
This was my first ever audiobook. Let's be real: I might never enjoy listening to novels. I like to imagine characters' voices and accents in my own head and I like to read as quickly or as slowly as I want to to enjoy certain paragraphs. Therefore - fiction audiobooks, not for me. But this? This was fun.
I have been wanting to try and read some non-fiction (most likely self help) books for a while. However, since reading novels is so much more fun (at least for me), I usually give up on non-fiction books pretty early on. Therefore, when I found this little gem in audio form, I decided to take my chances with it. And what do you know, I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty fun (and productive) to listen to someone tell me how to deal with my sh*t while cleaning my apartment or walking home.
Since this is my first book on this topic, I can't very well evaluate its methods. I don't think it taught me any mind shattering techniques to help me overcome my anxiety. However, it did occupy my mind for a while and it did make me laugh a fair number of times, so that's an added bonus. Honestly, this book was hilarious. Especially the opening chapter made me actually laugh out loud several times. However, if you don't like profanity, maybe stay away from this, since the auther does swear quite often (as you could have guess from the title).
For now, I'm trying to think and act according to Knight's tips, but I'm not sure I will be able to do that once something stressful happens. We will see I guess. Wish me luck.
March 8, 2019
Awful. Struggled to get through it. Sarah might aswell have just repeated the same thing over and over again; because that’s what it felt like. Such a shame as I was really looking forward to reading this book. Would not recommend at all.
March 10, 2019
I was annoyed at the frequent recommendations of using alcohol and junk food as coping mechanisms. That's not good advice.
January 17, 2021
Als je woordenschat beperkt is tot shit/fuck kan je misschien beter geen selfcareboek schrijven...
February 26, 2023
Got even more anxiety from reading this…
August 16, 2019
I'm so glad I didn't pay for this book. I borrowed it from my local library. I don't remember the last time I gave a 1 🌟 to a book! This book just wasn't for me.
What I liked:
It was entertaining and made me laugh sometimes.
What I didn't like:
Before reading this book, I had some expectations, for instance I thought I was going to learn how to control what I can, and accept what I can't like the title said I would, I also expected to learn some techniques to remain calm. But the author's approach to this was really, really basic, like just using common sense. She said many times to plan, prioritize, etc. She gave some examples of situations that could induce anxiety that honestly 90% of them were... childish? Privileged? Like how to avoid anxiety caused by sitting on a soiled chair while wearing white pants (or something like that) with pineapples on them... Yeah! Like for real! Some of the problems made my eyes roll so hard... the author did touch (superficially) serious topics but what she said just wasn't useful (plan, prioritize, I'm not a doctor) and the time spent on them was really brief.
What I liked:
It was entertaining and made me laugh sometimes.
What I didn't like:
Before reading this book, I had some expectations, for instance I thought I was going to learn how to control what I can, and accept what I can't like the title said I would, I also expected to learn some techniques to remain calm. But the author's approach to this was really, really basic, like just using common sense. She said many times to plan, prioritize, etc. She gave some examples of situations that could induce anxiety that honestly 90% of them were... childish? Privileged? Like how to avoid anxiety caused by sitting on a soiled chair while wearing white pants (or something like that) with pineapples on them... Yeah! Like for real! Some of the problems made my eyes roll so hard... the author did touch (superficially) serious topics but what she said just wasn't useful (plan, prioritize, I'm not a doctor) and the time spent on them was really brief.
February 18, 2019
Garbage
March 19, 2019
Reading this book made me more anxious. I also didn't relate to the author. I did like the format though.
February 11, 2026
I have been attracted by the book title ever since I laid an eye on it. I have always been a worrier and an over-thinker, and calming the f*ck down seemed to be a plausible solution!
The author started off great, like most self help books, she promised of the magic that her methods mentioned in the book could help you to stop worrying.
I must say she has a great sense of humor that she better utilize it for stand up comedy or writing books intended for laughing. Yet it was nice to get this vibe while reading, I couldn’t help but laugh for the metaphors and jokes she has been planting around. Although that would make it less tense to read, it was gradually over used across the book that it started to get boring and repetitive.
As in most self help books, the ideas they are presenting to the readers can be explained with the necessary details in a few pages, yet the tend to elongate by stuffing unnecessary and very personalized examples to get it into a 200 pages. The last chapter was completely useless with a naive problem where she built upon building different scenarios. Moreover, and as most of the self help authors try to market their other books through their other books which turns out tiresome and in fact leaving you with an opposite effect.
The sole idea Sarah Knight was appreciatively trying to capture to help you calm down can be summarized simply as follows, which I see helpful by the way:
- If something is highly unlikely to happen, why are you worrying about it?
- And if it's far off in the distance, why are you worrying about it NOW?
- Oh, and is this something you can control? No? Hm. Then there's no reason you should be spending your precious time, energy, and money on it at all.
Another idea that would incorporate was thankfully summarized as such:
- Can I control it?
• If not, can I accept that reality, stop worrying about it, and conserve freakout funds?
• If I can't stop worrying about it, can I convert freakout funds to productive, helpful, effective worrying that will prevent or mitigate it?
I trust these two advices along with her sense of humor would make the book a 2.5 star. So will bring it up to a good 3 but nothing more.
As a worrier and over thinker myself, I deep down think that the sole solution is to put a value on stuff going around. Life all in all is not worthy, in the end, we are all reaching for an inevitable departure whether we like it or not. I think it doesn’t make sense to worry about things that won’t last. Worrying about work and job, for instance, is legitimate, however, we must always remember it is not the end of the world!
We should only worry about the everlasting life that awaits us which, to a worrier, seems to be the least of my fears! I wonder why?!
Nadin Doughem
Sep 2024
April 30, 2022
2.5/5
The book started well. The advices on anxiety were helpful although I found she talked a lot about stress but much less about real anxiety. However, the second half of the book was quite catastrophic. There were far too many useless examples of situations in which I did not find myself at all. I even skipped the last 30 pages because the last part was way too long and unnecessary. Then the author talks way too much about herself.
In the end, I don't recommend it.
The book started well. The advices on anxiety were helpful although I found she talked a lot about stress but much less about real anxiety. However, the second half of the book was quite catastrophic. There were far too many useless examples of situations in which I did not find myself at all. I even skipped the last 30 pages because the last part was way too long and unnecessary. Then the author talks way too much about herself.
In the end, I don't recommend it.
March 28, 2020
I don’t know what to say, I found this book incredibly unhelpful. Her constant pandering was annoying. Her references were unhelpful. The advice was simplistic and only slightly helpful for someone with general anxiety.
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