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Hyper-chondriac: One Man's Quest to Hurry Up and Calm Down
Does your blood pressure surge if the car in front of you turns without signaling? Do your neck veins pulsate when a cashier takes too long to ring you up? Does relaxing seem like it'll have to wait until you're dead? Then your name could very well be Brian Frazer.
On paper, Frazer is the world's healthiest guy. He eats right, exercises regularly, gets plenty of sleep, has never smoked and has missed only one day of flossing in the last five years. But inside he's a swirling vortex of angst, capable of contracting a new malady every month. Once Frazer realized that all his ills were tied to stress, he went on a quixotic quest for calm, venturing into everything from Tai Chi, serotonin blockers and Kabbalah to an unfortunate incident involving pineapple-chicken curry at a Craniosacral therapy session. Never has the road to wellville taken so many unforeseen turns.
Achingly funny, uncomfortably true and always entertaining, Hyperchondriac is just the medicine for anyone who wants to take it down a notch.
On paper, Frazer is the world's healthiest guy. He eats right, exercises regularly, gets plenty of sleep, has never smoked and has missed only one day of flossing in the last five years. But inside he's a swirling vortex of angst, capable of contracting a new malady every month. Once Frazer realized that all his ills were tied to stress, he went on a quixotic quest for calm, venturing into everything from Tai Chi, serotonin blockers and Kabbalah to an unfortunate incident involving pineapple-chicken curry at a Craniosacral therapy session. Never has the road to wellville taken so many unforeseen turns.
Achingly funny, uncomfortably true and always entertaining, Hyperchondriac is just the medicine for anyone who wants to take it down a notch.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
521 people want to read
About the author
Brian Frazer
3 books3 followersBrian Frazer is a former stand-up comic who has also written for a variety of television shows, including Mad TV, The Tom Green Show and Blind Date, where he met his wife, Nancy, when they were both thought-bubble writers.
He now writes regularly for Esquire and ESPN the Magazine, and has a monthly column for Los Angeles Magazine. Brian has also written for Vanity Fair, Premiere and Maxim.
He now writes regularly for Esquire and ESPN the Magazine, and has a monthly column for Los Angeles Magazine. Brian has also written for Vanity Fair, Premiere and Maxim.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
December 27, 2008
Hilarious. Summed-up in a single word. It has been a long while since I've had a laugh-out-loud moment while reading a book and this one was full of them. Ultimately this memoir is a story about being a paranoid health freak and Frazer delivers it with a realism and humor that can only emerge from a liberal mixing of cynicism, sarcasm, unflinching self-appraisal, and Zoloft. His writing is clear, his insights are genuine, and his timing is perfect. Great book. Go out and read it.
November 19, 2015
This is an interesting memoir. At times, it's often quite funny. At times, it's often quite sad. It's about one man's experience with coming to terms with and trying to overcome his rage, anxiety, tension, and violent outbursts. At least he recognized his problems and tried, right?
Brian grew up in a Long Island Jewish family where his mother had MS and was one angry, pissed off, horrible bitch of a human being who practically tortured his father for life and made life miserable for him and his siblings. They never ate dinner together, except for once a year. They only ate fast food. When Brian went to college, he didn't know how to use utensils and ate, quite quickly, with his fingers and hands and thought all the stares were admiring stares of appreciation for his appetite. He literally ate everything as quickly as possible and with his hands. In fact, he was always in a hurry, always impatient, and blew up at anyone who got in his way or who let him down, especially as he was excessively punctual. He took up body building -- he was rather OCD -- and built his body so greatly that he won competitions. Then he took to eating ice cream competitions. And so it continued.
One thing I didn't like about the book is that somewhere there's a break in the book -- and his life -- where he apparently graduates from college, moves to Los Angeles, marries a girl named Nancy, and becomes a writer -- and he doesn't mention any of this in his own memoir. Um, okay. Yeah. Rather stupid, if you ask me.
The remaining chapters are about Brian's attempts to get his life under control. He finally finds out he's "abnormal" when he goes to a dermatologist who tells him he's the most tense human he's ever seen and proscribes Zoloft for him. He's stunned. Of course, he knew he was guilty of tremendous road rage, but then, wasn't everyone? So, he turns to other areas that might help him -- yoga, tai chi, Ayurveda, cranial-sacral therapy, etc. Each chapter is on one of these and more. He learns something about himself and of value for his search for betterment in each chapter, no matter how ridiculous the scene or how badly he's getting ripped off. Finally, he and Nancy get a dog near the end of the book and it's a very calm dog. And it helps calm him, along with his stringent diet, yoga (which initially almost destroyed his hip), etc. Towards the end of the book, a sister calls him to let him know his mother is having serious medical problems and his father has thrown his back out and needs help caring for her, so Brian and Nancy take off for the East coast to help out, where he is immediately taken back to the anger and hatred of his youth. But he survives and moves on, wishing his mother could too. He leaves the reader with his status as a work in progress. It's really an unfinished book. I wondered why he chose to write this particular book at this particular time in his life. I don't know the reason and will probably never find out. Whatever the case, it's a good read, if for no other reason then it's very, very funny. Recommended.
Brian grew up in a Long Island Jewish family where his mother had MS and was one angry, pissed off, horrible bitch of a human being who practically tortured his father for life and made life miserable for him and his siblings. They never ate dinner together, except for once a year. They only ate fast food. When Brian went to college, he didn't know how to use utensils and ate, quite quickly, with his fingers and hands and thought all the stares were admiring stares of appreciation for his appetite. He literally ate everything as quickly as possible and with his hands. In fact, he was always in a hurry, always impatient, and blew up at anyone who got in his way or who let him down, especially as he was excessively punctual. He took up body building -- he was rather OCD -- and built his body so greatly that he won competitions. Then he took to eating ice cream competitions. And so it continued.
One thing I didn't like about the book is that somewhere there's a break in the book -- and his life -- where he apparently graduates from college, moves to Los Angeles, marries a girl named Nancy, and becomes a writer -- and he doesn't mention any of this in his own memoir. Um, okay. Yeah. Rather stupid, if you ask me.
The remaining chapters are about Brian's attempts to get his life under control. He finally finds out he's "abnormal" when he goes to a dermatologist who tells him he's the most tense human he's ever seen and proscribes Zoloft for him. He's stunned. Of course, he knew he was guilty of tremendous road rage, but then, wasn't everyone? So, he turns to other areas that might help him -- yoga, tai chi, Ayurveda, cranial-sacral therapy, etc. Each chapter is on one of these and more. He learns something about himself and of value for his search for betterment in each chapter, no matter how ridiculous the scene or how badly he's getting ripped off. Finally, he and Nancy get a dog near the end of the book and it's a very calm dog. And it helps calm him, along with his stringent diet, yoga (which initially almost destroyed his hip), etc. Towards the end of the book, a sister calls him to let him know his mother is having serious medical problems and his father has thrown his back out and needs help caring for her, so Brian and Nancy take off for the East coast to help out, where he is immediately taken back to the anger and hatred of his youth. But he survives and moves on, wishing his mother could too. He leaves the reader with his status as a work in progress. It's really an unfinished book. I wondered why he chose to write this particular book at this particular time in his life. I don't know the reason and will probably never find out. Whatever the case, it's a good read, if for no other reason then it's very, very funny. Recommended.
September 25, 2011
I ended up liking this one more than I thought I would when I started it. In a nutshell, the book is his story of exploring alternative approaches to the anti-depressants he takes for his "chronic" severe neuroses, which manifest in all sorts of ailments. Frazer writes very well, with his (often self-deprecating) humor hitting its mark almost every time, although his bouts of cluelessness were sometimes a bit distracting for me. Definitely recommended.
P. S. I thought I was a picky eater, but I believe he has me beat!
P. S. I thought I was a picky eater, but I believe he has me beat!
January 26, 2009
Brian Frazer builds his memoir around his relationship with food, frenzy and his bodily ailments. His recounting is so funny that it strains credibility at times, but that's not a complaint. It's quite amusing whether it all took place or not. I picked this up because of its subtitle and it doesn't disappoint. I recognized myself in many of the chapters in which the author is gullible or suspends disbelief in his quest for normalcy.
May 17, 2016
I like this kind of thing. I really liked A.J. Jacobs "Drop Dead Healthy," which this could be compared to, and "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner. Jon Ronson's books. But these are the things that made this less than a four-star rating for me: this was an audiobook, and I didn't care for the reader; I don't relate to personally to his anger problems; and he dismissed some of the therapies so quickly that I was frustrated - my curiosity was piqued but not satisfied.
October 23, 2011
This is like reading my own life... tons of illnesses based on anxiety, which took years to realize was even actually a problem (if you don't know anything other than living with anxiety, you don't realize you have it!). I loved the entire book!
I found the live show in LA and am seeing it on Nov 5.
I found the live show in LA and am seeing it on Nov 5.
January 23, 2012
THIS IS EVEN FUNNIER THAN SEDARIS. I was seriously chuckling/loling at some point on just about every page. READ IT! READ IT! READ IT!!!!!
July 25, 2022
No, really, YOU WILL LAUGH OUT LOUD AND NOT BE ABLE TO STOP LAUGHING - it's that good!
I read memoirs before bedtime (too neurotic to read fiction), and I just can't thank this author enough. This book has probably been sitting on my shelf for like 20 years, and I finally picked it up, and I now I feel like I'm going to go into a tremendous funk when it's over because I haven't read a book this hysterical in ages. It's so well-written! I hope he writes more memoirs, because I will buy them! Thank you for cheering me up during the pandemic. Very few books make me laugh so hard I'm crying (but in a good way).
I read memoirs before bedtime (too neurotic to read fiction), and I just can't thank this author enough. This book has probably been sitting on my shelf for like 20 years, and I finally picked it up, and I now I feel like I'm going to go into a tremendous funk when it's over because I haven't read a book this hysterical in ages. It's so well-written! I hope he writes more memoirs, because I will buy them! Thank you for cheering me up during the pandemic. Very few books make me laugh so hard I'm crying (but in a good way).
February 3, 2024
I hate to give anyone's memoir 2 stars, but I could not finish this book. It was really boring and unreadable to me. I usually love autobiographical stuff, but usually I read them from people who have very significant stories to tell. Every life has its significance in its own way, but this guy has just lived a very regular life, which I'm sure some people would find appealing! 2 stars for me personally.
June 16, 2018
Aren't we all a bit neurotic? Love Brian's style and openness in Hyper-chondriac. If you're the kind of person who has googled an illness and concluded you have a brain tumor, then Brian's Hyper-chondriac is for you.
July 25, 2018
3.5 stars. One of the first books I added to Goodreads.
September 24, 2020
It was random book I found at Little Free Library and that is the perfect word to describe it random!!
April 19, 2022
Reasonably entertaining.
September 23, 2022
A very funny memoir. Well written and witty.
November 3, 2014
I loved "Hyper-chroniac: One Man's Quest to Hurry Up and calm Down by Brian Frazer. The subtitle tells the story. I read this book because I saw that Ray Romano is quoted as saying it is a hysterical book. He is right. At this point, I will read any book that Ray Romano recommends.
I laughed out loud so much it hurt and it was so very difficult to lay this book down. I, like the author have an anxiety problem. He is the one who hates long lines, waiting in traffic, waiting for medicine to work and for paint to dry and of course for more serious things like staying calm when someone insults you!
The author grew up on Long Island with a Jewish background. His childhood was OK until his mother developed Multiple Sclerosis. Home went bad for him. His mother’s personality soured. She constantly demanded things from his father. She allowed her caregiver, his father, no rest. He had to be fast on his feet to take care of her order to get up requests quickly. So he gulped his food down and Brian learned to do that too. And Brain learned to be anxious.
Brian tries to improve his skinny body with barbells and it worked but it but made his hyper-chronic problem even worse. He trained for competitions. He was so strict with his regime. His anxiety got worse. He went on a journey of ice cream eating contests; he had long lists of foods that he could not look at without getting physically sick. He got treatment from a various counselors and complementary medicine. His struggle was intense but also hilarious. Hyperbole made his adventure so funny that now I can now see my own past anxiety situations with a sense of humor. I loved the ending, by the way. He tried some treatment s that I wondered about but was too chicken to try. Now I know some to avoid!
I love this book and recommend it to anyone who has an anxiety problem, like me!
I laughed out loud so much it hurt and it was so very difficult to lay this book down. I, like the author have an anxiety problem. He is the one who hates long lines, waiting in traffic, waiting for medicine to work and for paint to dry and of course for more serious things like staying calm when someone insults you!
The author grew up on Long Island with a Jewish background. His childhood was OK until his mother developed Multiple Sclerosis. Home went bad for him. His mother’s personality soured. She constantly demanded things from his father. She allowed her caregiver, his father, no rest. He had to be fast on his feet to take care of her order to get up requests quickly. So he gulped his food down and Brian learned to do that too. And Brain learned to be anxious.
Brian tries to improve his skinny body with barbells and it worked but it but made his hyper-chronic problem even worse. He trained for competitions. He was so strict with his regime. His anxiety got worse. He went on a journey of ice cream eating contests; he had long lists of foods that he could not look at without getting physically sick. He got treatment from a various counselors and complementary medicine. His struggle was intense but also hilarious. Hyperbole made his adventure so funny that now I can now see my own past anxiety situations with a sense of humor. I loved the ending, by the way. He tried some treatment s that I wondered about but was too chicken to try. Now I know some to avoid!
I love this book and recommend it to anyone who has an anxiety problem, like me!
May 10, 2012
Although I have it at three stars, I would recommend this book (I'd give it three and a half stars if I could)...It was a quick read, that had some laugh out loud moments (which may be a bad sign, not sure I should be laughing at other's misfortunes!), and I love a lot of the observations, etc...My only issue was that the memoir read more as a series of the author's misadventures and observations without any depth. I guess I compare it to "Night of the Gun," which while a memoir also included some great discussions about memory and went into more depth, which was missing here...I also feel some of the author's ills seemed to "tidy," i.e. everything wrapped up nicely or happened within a set amount of time...my other thing (and this might be something that I want to email the author about), why did he try weed? living in L.A. why not? and I don't say that to be funny, but because it could have helped (note: the author might have addressed this and I did just missed it in the book)...overall an enjoyable read...
August 31, 2008
What surprised me most about this book is how many modern cures it both debunked and supported--yoga, tai chi, Ayurveda, cranial-sacral therapy, meditation, etc. I'd like to go out right now and get an Ayurveda practitioner to tell me what I should and shouldn't eat. Though I would never do anything to the extremes that the author did. I think it would be the rare person who wouldn't see a little of themselves in this guy and his afflictions, particularly his anger and anxiety. What makes him unique is how his history really screwed him up (man, when I think about it I've read a ton of books of this type) and how intensely he pursues help. Lucky for us, we get to learn about these cures without necessarily trying them ourselves. The best part is that the guy is smart and funny. I was reading this book last night in our hotel room on vacation while my son slept nearby and made frequent use of my pillow to stifle my laughs.
December 27, 2008
Okay, I'm a sucker for a memoir but let's face it, a lot of them are not great and most of them are not funny. This book is not the best, but it managed to make me smile often, at least once before I turn a page. It even got my giggling several times. For a long time, only David Sedaris and Dan Savage could do that to me. Since I usually read at a coffee house, I had to set the book down several times to survey people around me just to make sure nobody is watching me and thinking I've lost my mind. What's also great is that it goes from being outrageously funny to extremely moving.
The only problem I have with this book is that the story ends quickly. The writer squeezed several ending events into one ending chapter. However, his last sentence in the book got me saying "oh man! you're so f***ed up!"
The only problem I have with this book is that the story ends quickly. The writer squeezed several ending events into one ending chapter. However, his last sentence in the book got me saying "oh man! you're so f***ed up!"
January 10, 2008
Hyper-chondriac is named after the medical condition that Brian Frazer has diagnosed himself with, which is very much like hypochondria except that he actually gets the diseases he thinks he has. The subtitle of the book is “One Man’s Quest to Hurry Up and Calm Down,” and Frazer deftly portrays his journey in just this way. He goes through all kinds of treatments from non-traditional to self-destructive to pharmaceutical, finding the humor in it at every turn.
Brian Frazer used to be one of the thought bubble writers for the television show "Blind Date", and his humor is certainly along those lines at times. But all in all, his story is a fascinating one for readers who enjoy memoirs or medical stories.
Brian Frazer used to be one of the thought bubble writers for the television show "Blind Date", and his humor is certainly along those lines at times. But all in all, his story is a fascinating one for readers who enjoy memoirs or medical stories.
May 23, 2008
I'm almost finished with this book. The first half was so hilarious, I literally brought the book with me everywhere... gym, kitchen, office, car... (okay, not car!) I couldn't stop reading and laughing. Then it got incredibly repetitive and the author was caught in such a crazy cycle that he showed no growth at all. So though he had new experiences, there was nothing to enjoy looking forward to because he would always deal with them in exactly the same way and learn nothing from them. I more enjoyed his family stories from early childhood of how he became the nut job he grew up to be. Good stuff. The last chapter has been sitting unopened on my bedside table for months... but I'll get to it one of these days when interest sparks back up. Still a great book, though. Very funny stuff.
June 30, 2007
Entertainingly irritating, in that best-selling memoir kind of way. But his neuroses and anxieties are ones I'm more sympathetic to (there's one or two I share, even) than most of the popular memoirs that have made the rounds in the last few years. Unlike, say, Augusten Burroughs, this guy's world overlaps a lot more with mine: various forms of stress, alternative medicine, quests for self-improvement. Just when I'd think what an a**, I'm not reading any more, then the emotional tone would change and I'd give him another chance. We'd never get along IRL, but that's true for most memoirists. And besides, he really loves his dog!!
July 7, 2008
If you need to calm down or know someone who needs to calm down, buy this book NOW! Brian Frazer is not only laugh-out-loud funny, but his writing has tremendous depth and will help you find inner peace. It's up there with "Eat Pray Love" for me. (But a lot funnier). He's very much like David Sedaris, but he actually exposes himself - especially when dealing with familial issues. Lovely, fulfilling ending, too. I can't stop thinking about this book and look forward to reading his next.
June 22, 2009
Brian Frazer is clearly in the wrong place. I can think of little else that would spur someone to a homicidal incident than Los Angeles traffic, but for Frazer, road-rage is only one side of his anger management problem. Brian comes to realize that he needs to address his anger, and do it now, before he ends up exiled from yet another store or chasing down another dog owner. Lucky for him, L.A. has lots of options. From tales of frost-bite to Ayurvedic massage, the stories are laugh-out-loud funny and painfully honest. An entertaining and thoughtful memoir on sickness and what it takes to get well.
September 4, 2010
As a healthcare provider I was torn between fits of laughter, complete empathy with this guy, and the desire to throw the book and scream "Oh, Please Grow Up!" An enjoyable read, though not completely realistic (at least I hope few dermatologists feel the need to dole out antidepressants). Frazer through his adventures offers an interesting and somewhat scary look at the many alternative therapies that are available out there. Speaking of which....Did I happen to mention the ocean front property in Arizona that I have for sale? It's guaranteed to cure what ails you...LOL!
January 19, 2016
It's rare to find a book which I have to put down frequently because I am laughing out loud and can't read the next lines. But Mr. Frazer forced me to do just that with his witty, scathing criticisms of his own life and his quest for stress management and ailment-free living. I found myself relating to the author so much, I'm a bit afraid we might be distant relatives. :)
The only thing that kept it from getting five stars was that I had an advanced reading copy so riddled with typos, it really detracted from the story when I had to figure out what was supposed to be written.
The only thing that kept it from getting five stars was that I had an advanced reading copy so riddled with typos, it really detracted from the story when I had to figure out what was supposed to be written.
June 2, 2009
i enjoyed this memoir of stress and his quest to circumvent it somehow. he is a funny guy and his take on the alternative medicine bunch is pretty dead on! he gives credit where credit is due and pokes fun at the things he tried that were just crap. i have to say knitting was an unexpected turn in his trying to calm down! i find it just as trying as he did! i like his writing style and hope he has more to say in future books as i would be interested in his take on other supposed cures.
August 8, 2011
Wow, what a revelation! I first picked up this book thinking it would be a light little read about a typical modern neurotic - you know, like early Woody Allen. Instead, what I found was the deep underpinnings of these neuroses, and the touching ways they are manifested in on person's life. Brian Frazer has been on a wild ride - not all of has been pleasant, but he is able to find the humor in his harrowing circumstances and, thankfully, has the talent to allow us all to share in them.
March 25, 2008
This book is written around an interesting concept--overreacting to the perceived stress in your life can make you not only miserable, but also physically ill. The book recounts the quest of the author to find peace in his life in order to heal himself. The story is funny, and the author's journey through many different healing therapies is entertaining.
May 28, 2011
This book is not what I thought it would be. It was much better. I thought it would be a more serious look at the author's hypochondria (hyper-chondria), but it's quite hilarious. It's always nice to read about someone more off-balance than oneself. Frazer is a good writer. He actually kind of reminds me of David Sedaris, which is a compliment.
July 26, 2007
This is the memoir of a man who's a self-proclaimed hyper-active hypochondriac. His journey is a riot to follow as he tries traditional medicine, eastern medicine, and other less well known remedies, all in an effort to reduce anger and anxiety.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews