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Anxiety
This book of prose and magnificent poetry is Danny’s story as he begins to notice the world around him start to shatter. Yet through all that he offers encouragement and inspiration to those millions of others who also experience anxiety and panic.
There are many books on the market about anxiety, yet just a quick glance at these will demonstrate just how chintzy, patronising and condescending they really are. All these books give the impression that a few simple exercises can hold the terrors of tension, misery and dread at bay. If only it was that easy. But it’s not. Anxiety can cripple you! And there’s no easy cure, or magic words, or wrist band that is ever going to work
We start the book as Danny takes stock of those around him, and as editor of the book, before we get into more serious matters, I’ve allowed Danny 15 quick-fire poems to introduce himself, his Gypsy lifestyle as a kid and where he finds himself at the moment. He begins to notice loss, although he never phrases it quite like that. But we see loss as children fly the nest, loss of his youthful good looks and energy, a possible loss of income and finally the loss of a friend of ours, Chalkie, who was brutally murdered.
Our mate, Chalkie, was a great friend to Danny, and when he was savagely murdered it sent Danny into dark places in his mind that he had trouble escaping from. Danny was very much aware that he was in danger of turning corners in the labyrinth of his mind that he may not be able to find his way out of.
Danny has become a student of the human condition, and in this book he does what he does best; write poems about the world around him, and he does this with passion. Even if poems aren’t your preferred treasure, even if they don’t normally grab you, if they’re not your ‘thing,’ I’d still ask that you bear with Danny as he tells his story in his own way, for this, some would say, is what happens when someone with anxiety digs deep down into his own soul, for the book looks into the nitty-gritty of mental health awareness as Danny tells his story in a unique way, as he learns to come to terms with the barbaric and vicious murder of his best mate. Although, of course, he never does come to terms with such a cruel act. You can’t.
Sometimes Danny is, to use his own words, all lopsided in his head, which is why I’ve chosen to present the book in the current format, to expose how his thinking bounces around without rhyme or reason. So he discusses anxiety and depression and suicide and then out of the blue he writes a poem, but poetry is Danny’s way of clearing his head.
What can I tell you about Danny? He has a ferocious spirit and vigour. He has high moods and an instinctive ability to perceive and understand the world around him. He has a fierce sense of loyalty, he’s romantic, quixotic and starry-eyed. He brings smiles to everyone he meets, a gift I truly believe comes from a higher source.
However, there’s no denying that at times he can be restless, carrying the capacity for vastly darker moods, melancholy energies and occasional bouts of madness.
Writers, poets, artists, musicians and circus clowns often suffer from boisterous and raucous dispositions. And it’s true they can get into trouble at times. They wear their moods as their ships of passage, and Danny is no different. He suffers from what Lord Byron would term a ‘fine madness.’
He throws out poems in a sparkle of energy. And he puts everything into the words. They just arrive on paper as though a higher being is working through him. I can’t explain this, but it’s how it happens
I’ve known Danny for over 40 years, since we shared a room together at a seaside town in the South coast of England. So my opinion? He’s probably a bit of a mad genius, slowly losing his sanity, although he loves the world and everyone in it, and if this book can help just one person then Danny will sleep with a smile on his face tonight.
Karl Wiggins
There are many books on the market about anxiety, yet just a quick glance at these will demonstrate just how chintzy, patronising and condescending they really are. All these books give the impression that a few simple exercises can hold the terrors of tension, misery and dread at bay. If only it was that easy. But it’s not. Anxiety can cripple you! And there’s no easy cure, or magic words, or wrist band that is ever going to work
We start the book as Danny takes stock of those around him, and as editor of the book, before we get into more serious matters, I’ve allowed Danny 15 quick-fire poems to introduce himself, his Gypsy lifestyle as a kid and where he finds himself at the moment. He begins to notice loss, although he never phrases it quite like that. But we see loss as children fly the nest, loss of his youthful good looks and energy, a possible loss of income and finally the loss of a friend of ours, Chalkie, who was brutally murdered.
Our mate, Chalkie, was a great friend to Danny, and when he was savagely murdered it sent Danny into dark places in his mind that he had trouble escaping from. Danny was very much aware that he was in danger of turning corners in the labyrinth of his mind that he may not be able to find his way out of.
Danny has become a student of the human condition, and in this book he does what he does best; write poems about the world around him, and he does this with passion. Even if poems aren’t your preferred treasure, even if they don’t normally grab you, if they’re not your ‘thing,’ I’d still ask that you bear with Danny as he tells his story in his own way, for this, some would say, is what happens when someone with anxiety digs deep down into his own soul, for the book looks into the nitty-gritty of mental health awareness as Danny tells his story in a unique way, as he learns to come to terms with the barbaric and vicious murder of his best mate. Although, of course, he never does come to terms with such a cruel act. You can’t.
Sometimes Danny is, to use his own words, all lopsided in his head, which is why I’ve chosen to present the book in the current format, to expose how his thinking bounces around without rhyme or reason. So he discusses anxiety and depression and suicide and then out of the blue he writes a poem, but poetry is Danny’s way of clearing his head.
What can I tell you about Danny? He has a ferocious spirit and vigour. He has high moods and an instinctive ability to perceive and understand the world around him. He has a fierce sense of loyalty, he’s romantic, quixotic and starry-eyed. He brings smiles to everyone he meets, a gift I truly believe comes from a higher source.
However, there’s no denying that at times he can be restless, carrying the capacity for vastly darker moods, melancholy energies and occasional bouts of madness.
Writers, poets, artists, musicians and circus clowns often suffer from boisterous and raucous dispositions. And it’s true they can get into trouble at times. They wear their moods as their ships of passage, and Danny is no different. He suffers from what Lord Byron would term a ‘fine madness.’
He throws out poems in a sparkle of energy. And he puts everything into the words. They just arrive on paper as though a higher being is working through him. I can’t explain this, but it’s how it happens
I’ve known Danny for over 40 years, since we shared a room together at a seaside town in the South coast of England. So my opinion? He’s probably a bit of a mad genius, slowly losing his sanity, although he loves the world and everyone in it, and if this book can help just one person then Danny will sleep with a smile on his face tonight.
Karl Wiggins
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2019
11 people are currently reading
1368 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 7 reviews
November 16, 2020
Book Reviews
17. Anxiety By Danny Winter
This is my surprise book of 2020. I can’t believe I’m going to do this, but I’m giving this book 10 out of 10. I didn’t expect to do that for any book—ever. Now, there is nothing to attain in reading perfection—and this is far from perfect. I tried to give it 9.5 but my fingers wouldn’t let me.
I give Anxiety, by Danny Winter, don’t forget the name, full marks because it is the kindest book I have ever read. Much like a Gideon’s bible in hotels, every home should have this book in their bedside drawer. It should be there to pull on in times of need. And you can snort all you like, and you can say you’ll never need it. You’re not one of ‘those’ people. Neither was Danny Winters. He is now. It can get you. It comes in the night. It could get you—tomorrow.
I gave this book the ten out of ten mark for several reasons, but mostly because it is kind. Winter says periodically throughout the book, Don’t suffer in silence. Contact me. And while he’s not quite misguided enough to give out his phone number, he gives clear instruction to finding him. I gave this book 10 out of 10 because I believe him. I don’t know Danny winter, but I truly believe that I could send him a message at four in the morning and he’d be there to talk me down from whichever precipice I was dangling over.
I would never have bought this book. I only bought it as an indie author helping indie authors initiative, and then felt an obligation to read it. What a book! We are guided—through poetry and prose—into the story of Danny Winter’s onset of Anxiety. He provides the ‘Ism’ and his co-author, Karl Wiggins, adds the support and the science bit. They are the Morecambe and Wise of Psychotherapy. This book isn’t funny, and it doesn’t try to be. It’s not a dark humour book about Anxiety—it’s a bumbling account of one man’s troubles with his mental health. And therein lies the beauty. Winter hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about, because he isn’t a doctor. He’s an ordinary bloke and yet, he’s the most qualified person to tell you what he’s going through. This is the only self-help book you’ll ever need. It’s a perfect dib in and out, book, though I read it in 2 days. Whatever your problem, you will find something in there of comfort. You don’t need a self help book? Great. Lucky you. This is a lovely story about a journey to inhospitable places and it’s for everybody.
He keeps stopping the action to give a Winter Health Warning. And here’s the value of this book, if one man out there did as suggested. If he stopped reading, stuck his finger up his backside, found a lump, and acted on it, then this book is worth the price of a life. And women needn’t think they aren’t going to get yelled at in capital letters, either. It’s that kindness that makes this book so good. It’s not preachy. He’ll write in capital letters at you to do it, because he cares about people. This isn’t a book where some know-it-all depressive tells you what to do. He tells you how it is. It’s not a pity me. I can’t stand those books and would have put it down in a heartbeat at the first simile to A Child Called It and the ilk.
Poetry. I hate poetry. There, I’ve said it. I want a story and a conclusion What I dislike about poetry is that you have to dissect it, and then you have to work it out. What the hell did that mean? I’m not going to that effort in my leisure time, I want to be entertained. Winter says in the book, I know I write like a six-year-old. He doesn’t, but his poems are very simple. They are observational and they are—people. If, like me you don’t want to read a poetry book. That’s okay, don’t. Skip over them (I didn’t. I read every one and was moved.) There’s enough story in there to make a full book. For the poetry lovers, you don’t have to read the prose, skip it. This is a cover-all-the-bases-book. And I loved it.
It needs an edit. Here, we go again. I say this in all of my reviews. It has typos. Normally that would be important to me, but so what. This is a book about life’s imperfection. It’s as though the occasional blip is meant to be there. Again, can’t believe I’m going to say this. Maybe the book is some kind of voodoo and has driven me mad, but it is only better for them. They are human and this is about humanity. Even when Winter does this !!!!!, I don’t run screaming into the OCD pits of hell. But thankfully, I wasn’t too tested. He only does it twice.
The last reason that I gave this book ten out of ten, is that it’s about genuine friendship and love. Friendship that has lasted for over forty years. At first, it comes across as two old boys slapping each other on the back. Reams of other people are mentioned as nothing more than names. They evolve as The Tribe, a group of people who grew to adulthood together, some alive, some gone—and one brutally murdered. It’s the story of pure love and friendship transcending status and time. Part way through the book, when Winters is talking to you, you realise, that you have been inducted into The Tribe, but you still don’t get it. I don’t think even Winters and Wiggin intended it, but The Tribe is an extending ripple. The Tribe is mankind and Danny Winter has given his word. Don’t kill yourself—contact him. He’s there for all of us.
17. Anxiety By Danny Winter
This is my surprise book of 2020. I can’t believe I’m going to do this, but I’m giving this book 10 out of 10. I didn’t expect to do that for any book—ever. Now, there is nothing to attain in reading perfection—and this is far from perfect. I tried to give it 9.5 but my fingers wouldn’t let me.
I give Anxiety, by Danny Winter, don’t forget the name, full marks because it is the kindest book I have ever read. Much like a Gideon’s bible in hotels, every home should have this book in their bedside drawer. It should be there to pull on in times of need. And you can snort all you like, and you can say you’ll never need it. You’re not one of ‘those’ people. Neither was Danny Winters. He is now. It can get you. It comes in the night. It could get you—tomorrow.
I gave this book the ten out of ten mark for several reasons, but mostly because it is kind. Winter says periodically throughout the book, Don’t suffer in silence. Contact me. And while he’s not quite misguided enough to give out his phone number, he gives clear instruction to finding him. I gave this book 10 out of 10 because I believe him. I don’t know Danny winter, but I truly believe that I could send him a message at four in the morning and he’d be there to talk me down from whichever precipice I was dangling over.
I would never have bought this book. I only bought it as an indie author helping indie authors initiative, and then felt an obligation to read it. What a book! We are guided—through poetry and prose—into the story of Danny Winter’s onset of Anxiety. He provides the ‘Ism’ and his co-author, Karl Wiggins, adds the support and the science bit. They are the Morecambe and Wise of Psychotherapy. This book isn’t funny, and it doesn’t try to be. It’s not a dark humour book about Anxiety—it’s a bumbling account of one man’s troubles with his mental health. And therein lies the beauty. Winter hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about, because he isn’t a doctor. He’s an ordinary bloke and yet, he’s the most qualified person to tell you what he’s going through. This is the only self-help book you’ll ever need. It’s a perfect dib in and out, book, though I read it in 2 days. Whatever your problem, you will find something in there of comfort. You don’t need a self help book? Great. Lucky you. This is a lovely story about a journey to inhospitable places and it’s for everybody.
He keeps stopping the action to give a Winter Health Warning. And here’s the value of this book, if one man out there did as suggested. If he stopped reading, stuck his finger up his backside, found a lump, and acted on it, then this book is worth the price of a life. And women needn’t think they aren’t going to get yelled at in capital letters, either. It’s that kindness that makes this book so good. It’s not preachy. He’ll write in capital letters at you to do it, because he cares about people. This isn’t a book where some know-it-all depressive tells you what to do. He tells you how it is. It’s not a pity me. I can’t stand those books and would have put it down in a heartbeat at the first simile to A Child Called It and the ilk.
Poetry. I hate poetry. There, I’ve said it. I want a story and a conclusion What I dislike about poetry is that you have to dissect it, and then you have to work it out. What the hell did that mean? I’m not going to that effort in my leisure time, I want to be entertained. Winter says in the book, I know I write like a six-year-old. He doesn’t, but his poems are very simple. They are observational and they are—people. If, like me you don’t want to read a poetry book. That’s okay, don’t. Skip over them (I didn’t. I read every one and was moved.) There’s enough story in there to make a full book. For the poetry lovers, you don’t have to read the prose, skip it. This is a cover-all-the-bases-book. And I loved it.
It needs an edit. Here, we go again. I say this in all of my reviews. It has typos. Normally that would be important to me, but so what. This is a book about life’s imperfection. It’s as though the occasional blip is meant to be there. Again, can’t believe I’m going to say this. Maybe the book is some kind of voodoo and has driven me mad, but it is only better for them. They are human and this is about humanity. Even when Winter does this !!!!!, I don’t run screaming into the OCD pits of hell. But thankfully, I wasn’t too tested. He only does it twice.
The last reason that I gave this book ten out of ten, is that it’s about genuine friendship and love. Friendship that has lasted for over forty years. At first, it comes across as two old boys slapping each other on the back. Reams of other people are mentioned as nothing more than names. They evolve as The Tribe, a group of people who grew to adulthood together, some alive, some gone—and one brutally murdered. It’s the story of pure love and friendship transcending status and time. Part way through the book, when Winters is talking to you, you realise, that you have been inducted into The Tribe, but you still don’t get it. I don’t think even Winters and Wiggin intended it, but The Tribe is an extending ripple. The Tribe is mankind and Danny Winter has given his word. Don’t kill yourself—contact him. He’s there for all of us.
September 6, 2021
This author is haunted by the dark places in his mind that are very real, and yet… he uses his writing and poetry as forms of release for his anxiety and depression. He is not a doomsayer. Rather he uses his own experience to try and help others in the same predicament. Some of his words put me in mind of (more to add)
April 9, 2022
As the author of this book and attempt to focus of positive rather than my dark side I never intended to write my friend Karl encouragements was better the alternative and love helped me focus on writing ! I never thought in my wildest dreams that my thoughts would come to life. My poetry was a vein attempt to push myself into thinking I can achieve something and leave my footprint in the sand of life remember I strip myself bare to accept criticism but the the nature of the beast ! You must except it with grace and love and for people even to read my words make me sad to the point of crying with happiness. It’s a lonely cold world and one kind word can push you rather that jumping off a cliff. You must must must listen pick yourself up and not look for pity after all people have just the same problems if not worse than you. I have read your kind responses and to see anyone comment good or bad from my heart I thank you. To address the gentleman that doesn’t like my poems ! I thank you from my heart because of you I will try harder and hope that I can write better material. The style of poems was to reach people with easy satire that whimsical I’m aware it won’t get any honors the poems were to lighten up the book between the dark side of my life. If you only knew the hole I was in and thanks to Karl I crawled out so writing anything that people can relate to has given me GOD ! I can’t explain it but my heart is slowly finding peace I think I just wrote another book lolo but I wanted to personally thank your hearts and honesty ! I strongly suggest if you ever are dealing with life please contact me ! Anyone anytime. If I can talk to one person and they hear my story and the antidotes that have pulled me through the ambers and the coals I just hope I can comfort you. The book doesn’t mean nothing if you can’t put the words into practice. Here’s my number 3108926748 please I’m here for anyone so is my heart. It’s confidential and you don’t have to give your name It’s a cruel world and I’m here to lift you up ok. Thank you again. Don’t let anyone put you down except the undertaker
September 7, 2020
A great take on anxiety. really liked this book, found it very relatable.
January 26, 2025
this book was truly phenomenal.
as someone who suffers from anxiety i can’t lie i had to pause many times. danny just gets it. he explains it well. it made me second guess myself many times.
but it also made me realise, i’m not depressed, i just suffer really badly from anxiety.
i felt seen & heard.
there are so many parts that will stick with me forever.
thank you!
as someone who suffers from anxiety i can’t lie i had to pause many times. danny just gets it. he explains it well. it made me second guess myself many times.
but it also made me realise, i’m not depressed, i just suffer really badly from anxiety.
i felt seen & heard.
there are so many parts that will stick with me forever.
thank you!
May 11, 2021
dnf and 3 stars for effort and the introduction. i just didn’t vibe with the poetry man, and i was excited because the intro was superb, i mark the hell out of it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 7 reviews