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Anxiously Ever After: An Honest Memoir on Mental Illness, Strained Relationships, and Embracing the Struggle
How Are You Doing? No, Really ...
In this poignant memoir that is both laugh-out-loud funny, and sniffle inducing, Clint Edwards explores his lifelong struggle with mental illness in the shadow of his father’s battle with the opioid epidemic and his mother’s undiagnosed mental illness.
From being diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, to finding love, marriage, and having children, Clint explores what it means to find a healthy and balanced life with mental illness as your co-pilot. From the little hells of middle school and (frankly relatable) anxiety poops to running away from home at 14 and dealing with the death of a loved one, to learning that truly basic life you are not your parents, Clint touches on the crux of living moment to moment, struggle to struggle—without losing your ever-loving mind.
Clint’s candor, critical self-awareness, and refreshing sense of humor make for a one-of-a-kind read that might just make you feel less alone.
In this poignant memoir that is both laugh-out-loud funny, and sniffle inducing, Clint Edwards explores his lifelong struggle with mental illness in the shadow of his father’s battle with the opioid epidemic and his mother’s undiagnosed mental illness.
From being diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, to finding love, marriage, and having children, Clint explores what it means to find a healthy and balanced life with mental illness as your co-pilot. From the little hells of middle school and (frankly relatable) anxiety poops to running away from home at 14 and dealing with the death of a loved one, to learning that truly basic life you are not your parents, Clint touches on the crux of living moment to moment, struggle to struggle—without losing your ever-loving mind.
Clint’s candor, critical self-awareness, and refreshing sense of humor make for a one-of-a-kind read that might just make you feel less alone.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2022
86 people are currently reading
3189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
April 15, 2024
Here are five reasons I loved reading Anxiously Ever After.
1. As a teacher, I’ve gained a little more insight into the lives of my discouraged or disruptive students. It’s not always easy to respond with compassion when a kid seems chronically distracted, unmotivated, or tired in class, but reading accounts like Clint’s of what it’s like for a kid dealing with childhood trauma and how insignificant school can seem goes a long way toward helping improve my response. In many ways, I feel like this book could have been shelved as an education memoir. Any educator could gain a lot of insight into their students’ lives by reading Anxiously Ever After.
2. As a father, I’m reminded of the importance of so many of the decisions I make and how those decisions are viewed by my kids. I want to be the kind of father that always shows up, that is always present. Like all of Clint’s other books, Father-ish: Tales from a Dad Fumbling His Way Through Fatherhood , I'm Sorry...Love, Your Husband: Honest, Hilarious Stories From a Father of Three Who Made All the Mistakes , and Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes, Anxiously Ever After motivates me to be a better parent and to put my parenting decisions into long-term perspective. Any parent will benefit from reading this book.
3. As a son, I’m reminded to be grateful for the life my parents gave me. There are so many things I took for granted. Clint writes about watching Home Improvement when he’s home alone. I loved watching Home Improvement with my dad, something that never seemed incredibly significant, but was the result of many deliberate decisions my dad made to prioritize his family.
4. As someone who has experienced feelings of anxiety and depression, Anxiously Ever After is a counseling session without the fee. I think we’ve all had these feelings to some degree, and Clint’s open and honest account of his experiences offers true insight to anyone looking for help processing these or similar difficult feelings. The discussion of recognizing ways a disorder can benefit a person and learning to manage rather than cure a disorder are particularly powerful.
5. As an avid reader, I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. It’s thoughtful, well-written, and compelling. I was eager to pick it up again every time I had to put it down. The pacing and organization are on-point. The tone is casual and relatable. It’s easy to feel like Clint wrote this book for my personal benefit, a feeling I think any reader will share. I keep trying to call him Edwards as I review his book, but after reading such a direct, personal, and honest book, I just can’t do it.
I can’t think of a good reason not to read Anxiously Ever After. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and get a copy.
1. As a teacher, I’ve gained a little more insight into the lives of my discouraged or disruptive students. It’s not always easy to respond with compassion when a kid seems chronically distracted, unmotivated, or tired in class, but reading accounts like Clint’s of what it’s like for a kid dealing with childhood trauma and how insignificant school can seem goes a long way toward helping improve my response. In many ways, I feel like this book could have been shelved as an education memoir. Any educator could gain a lot of insight into their students’ lives by reading Anxiously Ever After.
2. As a father, I’m reminded of the importance of so many of the decisions I make and how those decisions are viewed by my kids. I want to be the kind of father that always shows up, that is always present. Like all of Clint’s other books, Father-ish: Tales from a Dad Fumbling His Way Through Fatherhood , I'm Sorry...Love, Your Husband: Honest, Hilarious Stories From a Father of Three Who Made All the Mistakes , and Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes, Anxiously Ever After motivates me to be a better parent and to put my parenting decisions into long-term perspective. Any parent will benefit from reading this book.
3. As a son, I’m reminded to be grateful for the life my parents gave me. There are so many things I took for granted. Clint writes about watching Home Improvement when he’s home alone. I loved watching Home Improvement with my dad, something that never seemed incredibly significant, but was the result of many deliberate decisions my dad made to prioritize his family.
4. As someone who has experienced feelings of anxiety and depression, Anxiously Ever After is a counseling session without the fee. I think we’ve all had these feelings to some degree, and Clint’s open and honest account of his experiences offers true insight to anyone looking for help processing these or similar difficult feelings. The discussion of recognizing ways a disorder can benefit a person and learning to manage rather than cure a disorder are particularly powerful.
5. As an avid reader, I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. It’s thoughtful, well-written, and compelling. I was eager to pick it up again every time I had to put it down. The pacing and organization are on-point. The tone is casual and relatable. It’s easy to feel like Clint wrote this book for my personal benefit, a feeling I think any reader will share. I keep trying to call him Edwards as I review his book, but after reading such a direct, personal, and honest book, I just can’t do it.
I can’t think of a good reason not to read Anxiously Ever After. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and get a copy.
December 5, 2022
I closed the book after finishing and cried. I felt every feeling possible while reading this. Most importantly; I felt seen/heard. I felt like my struggles with mental illness finally have a face. I felt compassion and acceptance for the burden that I carry as well as for others who are fighting.
I honestly thought at one point in my life that I was “good” with my depression and anxiety. All was well! But after reading Clint’s experiences and feeling his vulnerability I realize how much I can still learn. His words hold so much truth and it is so important to talk about how real this is: “It’s hard enough living with mental illness. Trying to understand your own condition is even harder. But trying to navigate the way the world refuses to legitimize it as a chronic ailment, well my friends, that is just one huge slap in the face.”
Bottom line. This book is remarkable and eye opening and I read it in less than 2 days…highly recommend. ❤️❤️
I honestly thought at one point in my life that I was “good” with my depression and anxiety. All was well! But after reading Clint’s experiences and feeling his vulnerability I realize how much I can still learn. His words hold so much truth and it is so important to talk about how real this is: “It’s hard enough living with mental illness. Trying to understand your own condition is even harder. But trying to navigate the way the world refuses to legitimize it as a chronic ailment, well my friends, that is just one huge slap in the face.”
Bottom line. This book is remarkable and eye opening and I read it in less than 2 days…highly recommend. ❤️❤️
April 13, 2023
Really good memoir of an honest dude’s look at living with anxiety and depression. Would totally recommend to anyone who can relate! My only complaint was that a few parts of it felt repetitive.
August 20, 2023
I received this book after commenting on the author’s Facebook page for his blog, “No Idea What I’m Doing.” So many of his blog posts about anxiety had resonated with me, even before I recognized that I had anxiety, too. I intended to read the book and give an honest review right away. I wasn’t prepared for how invested I would get in his story, and how I’d need to step away for a while when my own anxiety got intense. It took me a long time to finish this book, which isn’t at all typical of me. I started treatment for anxiety a few months prior to receiving this book, after a full-blown panic attack at work. I needed to digest this book in stages, as I, too, learned to recognize the role anxiety had played in my life. I’d always thought I “just” had depression. When I mentioned to my mother one of the medications I’d started, she said, “Oh, your dad took that for his anxiety.” No one had ever, ever told me that he’d struggled with anxiety, though now I can see the signs.
I think the best part of this book is how totally open and frank Clint Edwards is about his own struggles, his actions, his thoughts, his life in general. So many people are afraid to talk about their anxiety and mental illness, because we think people will think less of us. I don’t know how he overcame that to share so honestly and sensitively, but we NEED books like this. We, as a society, need to understand that people experience this, and that it isn’t all that unusual. As I read some of the later chapters and how he struggled with his therapist telling him certain thoughts and actions were normal or typical for someone with anxiety, it really resonated with me.
For those struggling with anxiety and depression, don’t be afraid to read this book. It describes the fear and the hold it has on you, but it also shows that there is HOPE. You can learn to live with the anxiety and recognize when it is flaring up. You can find ways to manage it. You can learn to talk about it with the people who matter most to you. It addresses many seriously heavy topics, but it brings humor and insight and understanding to them.
I think the best part of this book is how totally open and frank Clint Edwards is about his own struggles, his actions, his thoughts, his life in general. So many people are afraid to talk about their anxiety and mental illness, because we think people will think less of us. I don’t know how he overcame that to share so honestly and sensitively, but we NEED books like this. We, as a society, need to understand that people experience this, and that it isn’t all that unusual. As I read some of the later chapters and how he struggled with his therapist telling him certain thoughts and actions were normal or typical for someone with anxiety, it really resonated with me.
For those struggling with anxiety and depression, don’t be afraid to read this book. It describes the fear and the hold it has on you, but it also shows that there is HOPE. You can learn to live with the anxiety and recognize when it is flaring up. You can find ways to manage it. You can learn to talk about it with the people who matter most to you. It addresses many seriously heavy topics, but it brings humor and insight and understanding to them.
January 12, 2024
4.5 what an amazing story.
November 30, 2023
Whew! Hard to read at times, he had a rough life growing up, but so inspiring to see him overcome all the hardship. This book is an important one, especially for guys struggling with mental illness and not feeling free to share that knowledge with anyone. It is past time to get these things out in the open.
December 22, 2022
“I had to accept that mental illness was part of me. I needed to accept that it was not going to just leave, regardless of my life situation. I couldn’t wish it away or even pray that it would be taken from me. I couldn’t hate it into submission or pretend it wasn’t there. This was the moment when I realized I had to learn to live a healthy and happy life with mental illness.”
As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I very much appreciated this book. The quote above is a good “ah-ha” highlight for me. No matter what I do, my mental illness isn’t going away. How can I move forward and learn to live a healthy and happy life despite it?
As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I very much appreciated this book. The quote above is a good “ah-ha” highlight for me. No matter what I do, my mental illness isn’t going away. How can I move forward and learn to live a healthy and happy life despite it?
April 22, 2025
Clint Edwards grew up in rural Utah with two Mormon parents and despite the church placing emphasis on the importance of the family unit, his father was married four times throughout his life and his mother was married three times. His father was the one who first initiated a break-up with his mother, and his lack of financial support for Clint and his brother when they were kids led his mother to work three jobs just to keep food on the table. Working all the time wore her down to the point where Clint couldn’t handle her emotional volatility and he moved out when he was fourteen. He finished high school living with his grandmother who was the only person in his life who offered stability.
His father had an incurable dependence on opioid painkillers that left him going from doctor to doctor just to get his (often fake) prescriptions filled. His father’s life was a sad slide deeper and deeper into drug addiction until he reached the point of no return and died before reaching his 60s. He spent many years gaunt and blurry-eyed and altogether absent from Clint’s life. His father’s addiction was very painful for Clint to experience, a heartbreaking sentiment he expresses through his writing.
Ultimately, this is a story about mental illness, as Edwards has spent his life learning to cope with his severe anxiety and his obsessive compulsive disorder. As a kid, he struggled with making friends and had difficulty in school when taking tests or participating in group activities. He had physical symptoms like headaches and sudden bouts of diarrhea that often left him both socially and emotionally paralyzed. His ever-present sense of worry never let him feel comfortable in his own skin even when he was alone.
Through it all, he developed a variety of strategies for coping with his anxiety and in a brief passage at the end of the book is able to share these strategies with his son. He also comes to realize that his parents each suffered from similar mental illnesses as himself and is able to find a sense of compassion for them as two individuals simply doing their best with the tools they had. It’s a beautiful, full-circle moment of him being able to offer the parental stability to his son that his father and mother never could for him.
Anxiety is something we can all relate to, and while we might not experience such severe symptoms, there are many elements of his story that offer us opportunities for connection and empathy. His writing is eminently engaging and offers countless truthful moments of joy and sadness that leave his readers wanting more. He is an honest and relatable narrator and his stories are poignantly relatable.
His father had an incurable dependence on opioid painkillers that left him going from doctor to doctor just to get his (often fake) prescriptions filled. His father’s life was a sad slide deeper and deeper into drug addiction until he reached the point of no return and died before reaching his 60s. He spent many years gaunt and blurry-eyed and altogether absent from Clint’s life. His father’s addiction was very painful for Clint to experience, a heartbreaking sentiment he expresses through his writing.
Ultimately, this is a story about mental illness, as Edwards has spent his life learning to cope with his severe anxiety and his obsessive compulsive disorder. As a kid, he struggled with making friends and had difficulty in school when taking tests or participating in group activities. He had physical symptoms like headaches and sudden bouts of diarrhea that often left him both socially and emotionally paralyzed. His ever-present sense of worry never let him feel comfortable in his own skin even when he was alone.
Through it all, he developed a variety of strategies for coping with his anxiety and in a brief passage at the end of the book is able to share these strategies with his son. He also comes to realize that his parents each suffered from similar mental illnesses as himself and is able to find a sense of compassion for them as two individuals simply doing their best with the tools they had. It’s a beautiful, full-circle moment of him being able to offer the parental stability to his son that his father and mother never could for him.
Anxiety is something we can all relate to, and while we might not experience such severe symptoms, there are many elements of his story that offer us opportunities for connection and empathy. His writing is eminently engaging and offers countless truthful moments of joy and sadness that leave his readers wanting more. He is an honest and relatable narrator and his stories are poignantly relatable.
May 27, 2023
This memoir had some self-help vibes for me and was definitely a great read for May, considering this is mental health awareness month!
Edwards takes us through his childhood, teenage, and adult life and shows us how he has lived with, struggled with, and learned how to cope with his anxiety and mental illness. It was a raw glimpse into his imperfect world. And it hit home in a lot of ways. Everyone's story is different, but I think we can all relate to mental health in some way, whether we struggle with it internally, know someone who struggles, or maybe we have a parent or child who is struggling. Or maybe, like Clint, we are one of the "lucky ones" and are in the "all of the above" category.
He takes us through the hard times when he didn't know what he was facing was anxiety. He takes us through the times when all he wanted to do was get rid of his anxiety. He takes us through the bad, the ugly, the embarrassing, and the downright horrible.
It was a bit of a slow start for me, getting through his childhood story, but once you see that he really had to set the tone and lay the ground work to his story. It was a really good read all in all. I really enjoyed the whole story- it was rich and raw and full of emotion. Pain and honesty and humility.
I learned a lot through his words, from the perspective of a daughter, a mother, a friend, a wife, and simply a human. We are all just trying to work through things- we all may not struggle with the same things.
Our anxiety - or any other illness- does not define us. And it's not something that just disappears either. I think understanding yourself and your own ways of coping can really help you to understand and be empathetic toward others.
Everyone should read this book. 💕
"In this moment, I knew that the greatest gift I could offer my family was learning to manage my mental illness in a healthy and responsible way, so that I could have enough of myself available to be a nurturing father and husband" -Clint Edwards
Edwards takes us through his childhood, teenage, and adult life and shows us how he has lived with, struggled with, and learned how to cope with his anxiety and mental illness. It was a raw glimpse into his imperfect world. And it hit home in a lot of ways. Everyone's story is different, but I think we can all relate to mental health in some way, whether we struggle with it internally, know someone who struggles, or maybe we have a parent or child who is struggling. Or maybe, like Clint, we are one of the "lucky ones" and are in the "all of the above" category.
He takes us through the hard times when he didn't know what he was facing was anxiety. He takes us through the times when all he wanted to do was get rid of his anxiety. He takes us through the bad, the ugly, the embarrassing, and the downright horrible.
It was a bit of a slow start for me, getting through his childhood story, but once you see that he really had to set the tone and lay the ground work to his story. It was a really good read all in all. I really enjoyed the whole story- it was rich and raw and full of emotion. Pain and honesty and humility.
I learned a lot through his words, from the perspective of a daughter, a mother, a friend, a wife, and simply a human. We are all just trying to work through things- we all may not struggle with the same things.
Our anxiety - or any other illness- does not define us. And it's not something that just disappears either. I think understanding yourself and your own ways of coping can really help you to understand and be empathetic toward others.
Everyone should read this book. 💕
"In this moment, I knew that the greatest gift I could offer my family was learning to manage my mental illness in a healthy and responsible way, so that I could have enough of myself available to be a nurturing father and husband" -Clint Edwards
February 6, 2023
Rating: 10/10
All I can say is wow, this book was incredible.
In his memoir Anxiously Ever After, Edwards recounts his experiences growing up with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Learning to navigate anxiety and OCD, Edwards shows readers that you can learn to live a balanced life with mental illness.
Edwards is an incredibly talented writer. His ability to make me feel such strong emotions, as though his experiences were my own, is a prime example of how well-written this whole book is. This book honestly sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions; I laughed, cried, held my breath, and felt relief and hope. Throughout the memoir Edwards is transparent and vulnerable about his lifelong journey with mental illness, sharing detailed accounts of incidents surrounding his mental illness.
It takes a lot of courage to be so vulnerable and share such intimate moments of your life. Having witnessed his father battle drug addiction, Edwards goes on to describe in detail the impact that his Dad's addiction had on his life, expressing his fear of ending up like his father.
Despite not knowing him, I'm proud of Clint Edwards for writing this book, for being so courageous and vulnerable, for becoming greater than his environment, and for reminding those that struggle with mental illness that they're not alone.
Incredible book, definitely recommend it.
All I can say is wow, this book was incredible.
In his memoir Anxiously Ever After, Edwards recounts his experiences growing up with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Learning to navigate anxiety and OCD, Edwards shows readers that you can learn to live a balanced life with mental illness.
Edwards is an incredibly talented writer. His ability to make me feel such strong emotions, as though his experiences were my own, is a prime example of how well-written this whole book is. This book honestly sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions; I laughed, cried, held my breath, and felt relief and hope. Throughout the memoir Edwards is transparent and vulnerable about his lifelong journey with mental illness, sharing detailed accounts of incidents surrounding his mental illness.
It takes a lot of courage to be so vulnerable and share such intimate moments of your life. Having witnessed his father battle drug addiction, Edwards goes on to describe in detail the impact that his Dad's addiction had on his life, expressing his fear of ending up like his father.
Despite not knowing him, I'm proud of Clint Edwards for writing this book, for being so courageous and vulnerable, for becoming greater than his environment, and for reminding those that struggle with mental illness that they're not alone.
Incredible book, definitely recommend it.
July 30, 2023
ANXIOUSLY EVER AFTER (2022) by Clint Edwards: Funny, honest, and vulnerable, this is Clint Edwards’s account of learning to live with mental illness. With two parents with undiagnosed mental illnesses, their messy divorce, his father’s opioid addiction and tragically early death, and an unstable home life until he moved in with his grandmother, Edwards obviously had a plethora of contributing factors to his detrimental mental state. But what he comes to realize that even when life smoothed out and he was granted some successes or pleasurable experiences, his anxiety was still a part of him: “The anxiety was just there, regardless of what was happening in my life” (189). A wonderful memoir that selflessly shares what it’s like to live with mental illnesses, drawing on the experiences of the author and his family; covered here are anxiety, panic disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, substance abuse & addiction, and ADHD. It is truly a gift that he has written and published a book in whose pages so many will find themselves and which disrupts another epidemic—that of the silence, shame, and attempts to disguise/hide mental suffering. Say it out loud: Being alive! It’s a lot! We’ve all been through a lot. It’s okay to say so. It’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to need or want help.
December 1, 2022
Just finished reading Anxiously Ever After by Clint Edwards and have to say it is the best book I’ve ever read about anxiety. As both a psychologist working with individuals diagnosed with anxiety as well as a human being who has many nonprofessional connections with individuals with anxiety, this book is simply outstanding! It is an intriguing read and I had a hard time putting it down. Edwards is a great story teller and draws you in with his vivid and heartfelt descriptions of his life experiences.
Anxiety is highly prevalent in our society and I will go out on a limb to say that everyone knows someone that struggles with anxiety. You may not know that they struggle with anxiety, but someone you know definitely does. And anxiety is a hard experience to understand. Both for the person experiencing it as well as for others in that person’s life.
This book does an excellent job at describing anxiety, what it feels and looks like, and making it real and relatable. I can’t begin to say enough about this book and firmly believe it should be on everyone’s reading list. I’ve even begun to think about how use this book in a curriculum that addresses mental health and addiction in high school or college.
In short, this is a must read for anyone and everyone.
Anxiety is highly prevalent in our society and I will go out on a limb to say that everyone knows someone that struggles with anxiety. You may not know that they struggle with anxiety, but someone you know definitely does. And anxiety is a hard experience to understand. Both for the person experiencing it as well as for others in that person’s life.
This book does an excellent job at describing anxiety, what it feels and looks like, and making it real and relatable. I can’t begin to say enough about this book and firmly believe it should be on everyone’s reading list. I’ve even begun to think about how use this book in a curriculum that addresses mental health and addiction in high school or college.
In short, this is a must read for anyone and everyone.
July 24, 2023
A very personal look at mental illness, anxiety, and OCD. Clint's journey from childhood not understanding to adulthood acceptance is quite eye-opening. Some of my biggest takeaways from this book were to not use OCD when referring to small things because that is not OCD. Also thinking about anxiety as a scale. Everyone is anxious sometimes, but someone with an anxiety disorder...that is their default state. There is no ending this, there is only managing it. No one with anxiety needs to be cured of it, just accepting of it, and able to find tools so it isn't crippling. This open, honest discussion of anxiety and mental struggles is sorely needed in a world where mental health is all too often pushed to the side because it is out of sight. A great book for anyone who has or who loves someone who has anxious thoughts.
November 23, 2022
I haven’t been this impressed with a book on mental health since The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Within the first chapter I was unable to put this book down and read it within 3 days, mostly because of kids and work. His use of therapy words and terms turned on lightbulbs in my head from my own times in therapy and gave names to things I’d felt before in my own life. Shedding light on mental illness in men was a huge thing for me too, because Clint’s experience sounded much like my husband’s. I’m hoping I can get him to read it too! If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety or mental issues or know someone who has, you will learn something from this book. You will laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll leave feeling enlightened and changed.
June 16, 2023
Such a good read! This book is an excellent telling of Clint’s lifelong struggles with anxiety and mental illness and tells a sometimes tragic and yet beautiful story of his family life growing up and now as an adult. I found myself getting teary-eyed at the end as he explained how his understanding of his father changed.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone. I would also recommend reading Clint’s other books as well, and maybe first? It’s not necessary, this book easily stands alone, but I have read all of his books as they’ve been published and it’s interesting to see the growth of his family as well as himself, and then this book beautifully tells his backstory. Love love love, 10/10.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone. I would also recommend reading Clint’s other books as well, and maybe first? It’s not necessary, this book easily stands alone, but I have read all of his books as they’ve been published and it’s interesting to see the growth of his family as well as himself, and then this book beautifully tells his backstory. Love love love, 10/10.
November 15, 2022
This book is a triumph. The writing is as beautiful as the revelations about life with mental illness. I couldn’t put it down. Very insightful about what is often misunderstood about living with mental illness and this story is laid out in a way that is both intriguing, introspective and ultimately relatable. This subject can sometimes be dark, clinical or misunderstood and lead to a disengagement by a reader who doesn’t have mental illness, this is not that book. Excellent story telling skills. A must read!
February 2, 2023
This book is exceptional. I couldn’t put it down. There is so much praise for how candidly Clint discusses mental illness, while weaving in humor and excellent story telling, but for me the greatest piece of this book is how he reconciles anxiety and faith. So often we are told that anxiety is just a lack of faith or maybe even a sin. I appreciate how Clint differentiates completely between mental illness and faith. It’s such a short section of the book, seriously only a few pages - so don’t let that put you off if you aren’t spiritual, but it was a profound realization for me that experiencing anxiety does not make me a bad Christian. This book was entertaining, informative and quite frankly also validating. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
February 8, 2023
Explains how to handle anxiety but not let anxiety get control over you.
I suffer from depression and anxiety and in fact last week I had a particularly bad panic attacks that escalated rapidly and came one after another for three days. Reading how the author's spells were overtaking his life. It was my anxiety spot on. He discusses how you can't always stop panic attacks from being the main focus and step back to readjust your reaction to panic attacks. I found this very helpful and now have the knowledge to handle anxiety better.
I suffer from depression and anxiety and in fact last week I had a particularly bad panic attacks that escalated rapidly and came one after another for three days. Reading how the author's spells were overtaking his life. It was my anxiety spot on. He discusses how you can't always stop panic attacks from being the main focus and step back to readjust your reaction to panic attacks. I found this very helpful and now have the knowledge to handle anxiety better.
January 4, 2025
I was given this book to read as a suggestion and it’s honestly not one I would have picked up on my own to read otherwise. It turned out to be an excellent book that was thought-provoking, emotional, relevant, and very real. I’d recommend it to anyone who deals with mental illness or loves someone who does. The way the author describes both typical and supposed “atypical” manifestations of anxiety and other mental illnesses really shines a light on things in a way a lot of books and other media don’t.
August 14, 2025
An honest and thoughtful memoir about life with anxiety, yours and others'. I didn't expect to feel so seen. I've heard plenty of descriptions of anxiety, most pretty vague and seemingly lowkey. But no, we get real here - constant fear, dread, and absolute terror at what can logically be described as something at best unlikely, at worst completely nonsensical when you say it out loud. But that doesn't make it feel less true.
As an anxiety haver, I came away feeling truly inspired and encouraged. Like maybe I can also do the big things that scare me???? Thank you for that. 🖤
As an anxiety haver, I came away feeling truly inspired and encouraged. Like maybe I can also do the big things that scare me???? Thank you for that. 🖤
November 23, 2022
I had a hard time putting this down once I got into it! Clint Edwards speaks honestly about trauma and mental illness, all the whole bringing hope and humor to the table. I'm a huge fan of Clint's on Instagram and this is the first book of his I've read. As a fellow anxiety-sufferer, I related so much to many of his struggles, even if our childhoods looked different. We need more people like him speaking out about the realities of mental illness and mental health!
November 29, 2022
Love his humor, and the radical honesty. And his love for his wife and family is so sweet. Not the most detailed with the therapeutic treatments for anxiety, but just a really funny, clear, and well-written depiction of life with generalized anxiety disorder and OCD. I also think that even though he was brutally honest about his parents, his love was also apparent. The understanding about his dad is beautiful. Great book!
December 12, 2022
This book was incredibly honest. Whether is was bodily fluids, raw emotion, or complex family dynamics, I felt the author sharing his truth on every page.
As an occupational therapist who has worked with adolescents and adults with chronic illness (which often comes with anxiety and depression), I applaud Clint for sharing what many people are asked to hide. Through relatable and vulnerable stories, so many individuals find inspiration, hope, and even humor. An important read.
As an occupational therapist who has worked with adolescents and adults with chronic illness (which often comes with anxiety and depression), I applaud Clint for sharing what many people are asked to hide. Through relatable and vulnerable stories, so many individuals find inspiration, hope, and even humor. An important read.
March 6, 2023
This funny, relatable, fearless, unputdownable memoir may be one of the world’s best resources for understanding mental illness — and/or for feeling truly understood. Brutally candid, this memoir never feels self-absorbed; Clint exhibits true vulnerability and deftly navigates hard truths with remarkable compassion. He pulls you through his traumatic childhood with momentum and humor. And his hard-earned wisdom is like a bunch of free therapy sessions. A genuine must-read.
April 23, 2023
3.5 stars. Honest book about a life with anxiety, by a talented and funny author. I don't know if I'd call it a 'memoir' necessarily, because it is SO focused on the anxiety aspect (for example, we meet his girlfriend when they are working at the hardware store together, and then in the next chapter they have been married for two years). While it is repetitive at times, it did help me understand what he went through and how he learned to deal with his anxiety in a productive way.
February 5, 2024
i picked it up because the book is pink and pretty. didn’t think i could relate to this mormon dad whose upbringing is so different to mine but somehow he named all the feelings i have ever felt confused and frustrated about into words in such a beautiful comical way. good book for all the stupidly anxious people out there who just need to recognize their denial and laugh out loud about their illness :)
March 8, 2024
This book really opens your eyes to what it’s like for people who have anxiety. It’s so easy to say, oh let it go…don’t worry about it…but that doesn’t happen. It’s like saying, wish your diabetes away or your migraines away (how I wish that worked!). Clint shares what it’s like also when you find out that what you thought your childhood was like, might not have been…sometimes having a chat with someone, even your parents if possible, can shine light on your own life.
August 7, 2025
In this unique and touching memoir, Clint Edwards effortlessly communicates the realities of living with daily anxiety. His combination of frank story telling, funny anecdotes, and emotional stories immediately grip the reader with ferocity. His willingness to share his embarrassing, yet all too-relatable stories make an anxious reader feel more than heard; they are provided a sense of camaraderie and deep understanding. I would highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with anxiety.
November 17, 2022
Clint writes honestly and openly about his struggles with mental health and yet somehow also manages to make you laugh. Around my house that’s the perfect combo…we’ve been through it and humor has saved us, so have tears. Clint will bring you a few of those too. I love him online and having his book in hand brought me on a journey of lessons we all could use.
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