Many sources such as The New York Times state that America has become the most anxious country in the world. However, many social media posts are pushing to make mental illness better addressed. Well known blogger and New York Times bestselling author, Jenny Lawson is very well acquainted with these struggles. Recently I have read her most recent novel Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things. Even after all of these years of being taught to never judge a book by its cover...I did. Shining reflecting pieces with a standing smiling raccoon?! Awesome marketing strategy, because you got me there.
Turning to the back of the book, I saw it was about her lifelong battle with mental illness. Believe it or not, that only drew me closer. Sometimes the biggest battles in life are within ourselves and she was sharing it with the world.
She opens with explaining what it means to be furiously happy. It means to be happy out of spite of the bad things and weird moods life throws at you. Be spontaneous and ridiculous. Who knows where it may lead? You may end up in Australia in a koala costume cuddling with little gray bears of your kind.
In this book she perfectly illustrates what it is like to be anxious and depressed. To have irrational fears and completely believing them or to have depression lie to you about your self-worth. Like Lawson, many can say that they have felt crippled or bed confined from being in such a dark place. Someone could knock on the door and you find yourself playing a game of hide and seek with them... except the person knocking doesn’t know they are playing and they can’t find your unless they break in and look under your bed or in a closet.
Maybe it is just me, but because it is an easy read and changes topic so fast I was able to read it like my own anxious thoughts. Sure you may start off by talking about how your day went, but may end up talking about how messed up it would be if you could use randomly deformed holes in your body as a shot glass. Lawson has such humor that she is able to make it seem ok even when it may not be, which is the point of it all. She talks about her social anxiety and how hard it can be to get out of bed, let alone leave the house. One of the ways she reaches out for help is through social media. It was humbling reading this part after hearing so many tragic stories about cyber bullying, but she is experiencing quite the opposite. She has found that by sharing her current struggles on her blog and Twitter account, she is able to help find that she needs to get through rough situations. Even someone who is viewed to be successful can still struggle with a lack of confidence or crippling social anxiety.
You may not struggle with mental illness but there is a good chance that you know someone that does. I recommend this book for everyone. It’s comforting for those who can relate and an eye opener for those that need help in understanding.
