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How to Survive the End of the World (When it's in Your Own Head): An Anxiety Survival Guide
There are plenty of books out there on how to survive a zombie apocalypse, all-out nuclear war, or Armageddon.
But what happens when it feels like the world is ending every single time you wake up? That's what having anxiety is like - and How to Survive the End of the World is here to help. Or at least make you feel like you're not so alone.
From helping readers identify the enemy, to safeguarding the vulnerable areas of their lives, Aaron Gillies will examine the impact of anxiety, and give readers some tools to fight back - whether with medication, therapy, CBT, coping techniques, or simply with a dark sense of humour.
304 pages, ebook
First published April 19, 2018
116 people are currently reading
1919 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
July 18, 2019
I won this book in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly love this book it’s based on the authors personal life experiences and there’s humor exactly where it’s supposed to be. I really found out a lot about myself while reading this. I know a lot more about anxiety than I did before. It always interests me learning new stuff and new stuff about myself.
I would strongly recommend reading this whether you have anxiety, live with somebody who has anxiety, is friends/ going out with someone who has anxiety, wondering if you have anxiety or just generally to educate yourselves some more.
There is a trigger warning ⚠️ for self harm and the trigger is mentioned throughout the book (I think mainly from pages 127-134. That’s when he talks about it).
I won’t go into detail about myself regarding this book and I know th author states it’s not the most serious of books, but he gets to the point and touches up on all the subjects. Regardless of the humorous parts it’s really interesting and a great read.
Also he’s kind of a Marvel nerd so you know.
I honestly love this book it’s based on the authors personal life experiences and there’s humor exactly where it’s supposed to be. I really found out a lot about myself while reading this. I know a lot more about anxiety than I did before. It always interests me learning new stuff and new stuff about myself.
I would strongly recommend reading this whether you have anxiety, live with somebody who has anxiety, is friends/ going out with someone who has anxiety, wondering if you have anxiety or just generally to educate yourselves some more.
There is a trigger warning ⚠️ for self harm and the trigger is mentioned throughout the book (I think mainly from pages 127-134. That’s when he talks about it).
I won’t go into detail about myself regarding this book and I know th author states it’s not the most serious of books, but he gets to the point and touches up on all the subjects. Regardless of the humorous parts it’s really interesting and a great read.
Also he’s kind of a Marvel nerd so you know.
April 22, 2018
This is really a book I wish I had when I was diagnosed with having a severe anxiety disorder. It would have really helped me understand the chaos that used to reign in my head and also worked as a useful guide for family members trying to help and understand as it explains anxiety far better than I ever did.
It's part memoir, part self help book. It's not meant to replace any medical diagnosis and advise but it does give some good tips on what can possibly work for you based on his own experience.
I enjoyed the writing style, it's very humorous and I can identify with many of the examples used in the book. I really enjoyed this.
Free arc from netgalley
It's part memoir, part self help book. It's not meant to replace any medical diagnosis and advise but it does give some good tips on what can possibly work for you based on his own experience.
I enjoyed the writing style, it's very humorous and I can identify with many of the examples used in the book. I really enjoyed this.
Free arc from netgalley
January 3, 2019
I've been following Aaron Gillies on Twitter for a while. He's extremely funny (at least in my opinion), and the moment he announced he was writing a book, I knew I had to buy it.
Anxiety is something I'm very familiar with and How to Survive the End of the World offers an honest and funny account of Gillies' experience with panic attacks and anxiety.
Of course, reading this book will not magically cure any anxiety, but it's a start: knowing others feel the same things you feel and maybe you're not so odd after all.
Anxiety is something I'm very familiar with and How to Survive the End of the World offers an honest and funny account of Gillies' experience with panic attacks and anxiety.
Of course, reading this book will not magically cure any anxiety, but it's a start: knowing others feel the same things you feel and maybe you're not so odd after all.
August 15, 2018
3.5 stars
Solid laugh-out-loud anxiety guide. Good stuff.
Solid laugh-out-loud anxiety guide. Good stuff.
November 2, 2021
If you have anxiety, think you may have anxiety, or want to find out more about anxiety for any reason this book is going to help you.
I personally don’t have severe anxiety, I am anxious sometimes, ok often but not to the level he describes and so I felt simultaneously like a fraud for reading this and also relieved that I was nowhere near ‘as bad’ as the author here.
Reading this it was nice to have the feeling that you’re not alone and I imagine many others will read this and think ‘hey I do that too’, it’s a comfort, I thought it was just me.
Having said that at times it made for uncomfortable reading, it even made me feel anxious! It made me self reflect more than I’m used to - which can be scary. However I did learn some things about myself (sadly not all positive) but I did also take away some useful and positive knowledge and some good advice. Some of this is not new, some of it we already know but I think sometimes we all need to be told again.
The author himself is pretty good, very down to earth and amusing, and what felt like real honesty. However it can be rambling at times and I felt he was trying to shoehorn some jokes in. I also absolutely hated all the notes where we are redirected to the back of the book, the vast majority of these were unnecessary. My last critical comment here is that I found the way he was continually telling me how crazy he is (his words not mine) became grating, yes I get it, you are really crazy or “utterly bananas!” (forced laughing - Haha!)
Overall a good book on the subject of anxiety and coping with it, with plenty of his own examples and tips which I think could help many.
4*/5
I personally don’t have severe anxiety, I am anxious sometimes, ok often but not to the level he describes and so I felt simultaneously like a fraud for reading this and also relieved that I was nowhere near ‘as bad’ as the author here.
Reading this it was nice to have the feeling that you’re not alone and I imagine many others will read this and think ‘hey I do that too’, it’s a comfort, I thought it was just me.
Having said that at times it made for uncomfortable reading, it even made me feel anxious! It made me self reflect more than I’m used to - which can be scary. However I did learn some things about myself (sadly not all positive) but I did also take away some useful and positive knowledge and some good advice. Some of this is not new, some of it we already know but I think sometimes we all need to be told again.
The author himself is pretty good, very down to earth and amusing, and what felt like real honesty. However it can be rambling at times and I felt he was trying to shoehorn some jokes in. I also absolutely hated all the notes where we are redirected to the back of the book, the vast majority of these were unnecessary. My last critical comment here is that I found the way he was continually telling me how crazy he is (his words not mine) became grating, yes I get it, you are really crazy or “utterly bananas!” (forced laughing - Haha!)
Overall a good book on the subject of anxiety and coping with it, with plenty of his own examples and tips which I think could help many.
4*/5
May 11, 2020
I picked up ‘How to Survive the End of the World’ while browsing the library shelves. I can’t just wander around a library without borrowing books, of course. It caught my eye because, a) any book with ‘End of the World’ on the cover does, and b) I’m no stranger to anxiety. The style is very informal, much like an extended blog post. So much so that I found it a bit disconcerting at first, not being used to such a tone in book format. Don’t expect a great deal of depth or scientific explanation, as this isn’t that sort of book. If you experience anxiety, or know someone who does, though, it will definitely strike a chord. Gillies’ advice is unlikely to appear new, nor does it claim to be, but is totally sensible and delivered very entertainingly. It’s good to be reminded to give yourself a break, talk to people about how you feel, etc. His explanations of and advice on social anxiety are especially strong. This bit about coffee was very relatable for me:
I am both acutely sensitive to caffeine and dependent upon it to function before midday. Given this sensitivity, I suspect any more powerful stimulant would immediately make my heart explode. It’s a pity that coffee is anxiety in a cup, but such are the sad compromises we make to subsist under capitalism. At least it tastes nice; I don’t know how anyone stomachs Red Bull. The personal anecdotes also reminded me how glad I am not to live in London, the most stressful city. Surely anyone’s anxiety could be alleviated by moving somewhere less crowded and expensive. Taking the tube during rush hours is a uniquely awful experience, despite train overcrowding being endemic across Britain. Anyway, I enjoyed the bleak and often surreal humour here. It’s unusual to find a self-help-ish book on mental health so quick and pleasant to read.
A final note: despite the title, there’s no advice in here on what to do about an obsession with apocalyptic fiction.
The logical solution, and the medically recommended solution, is to cut out the caffeine. A sensible idea, with only two problems: first, no, and second, no. If I had to cut out coffee I would have to move onto cocaine, and I’ve never fancied myself as a cokehead. Mainly because it’s really expensive.
I am both acutely sensitive to caffeine and dependent upon it to function before midday. Given this sensitivity, I suspect any more powerful stimulant would immediately make my heart explode. It’s a pity that coffee is anxiety in a cup, but such are the sad compromises we make to subsist under capitalism. At least it tastes nice; I don’t know how anyone stomachs Red Bull. The personal anecdotes also reminded me how glad I am not to live in London, the most stressful city. Surely anyone’s anxiety could be alleviated by moving somewhere less crowded and expensive. Taking the tube during rush hours is a uniquely awful experience, despite train overcrowding being endemic across Britain. Anyway, I enjoyed the bleak and often surreal humour here. It’s unusual to find a self-help-ish book on mental health so quick and pleasant to read.
A final note: despite the title, there’s no advice in here on what to do about an obsession with apocalyptic fiction.
Read
April 20, 2019This was the most genuinely funny book I have read for a long time.
Also, it has probably the best definition of the Moomins one can find:
"For anyone unaware of Moomins, they feature in a series of Swedish children’s books that were turned into a cartoon invented by Satan to mentally scar human beings and to punish humanity for all of our misdoings."
As for the anxiety stuff, I couldn't relate to most of the presented problems therefore I leave no star rating. Hard to say if anyone with anxiety could benefit much from this book, altough I would give it a try, because it was pure fun.
Also, it has probably the best definition of the Moomins one can find:
"For anyone unaware of Moomins, they feature in a series of Swedish children’s books that were turned into a cartoon invented by Satan to mentally scar human beings and to punish humanity for all of our misdoings."
As for the anxiety stuff, I couldn't relate to most of the presented problems therefore I leave no star rating. Hard to say if anyone with anxiety could benefit much from this book, altough I would give it a try, because it was pure fun.
March 15, 2022
This is the best self help book I've read for anxiety so far. It manages to cover everything you need to know without getting bogged down in activities that take up full chapters as other self help books I've found do. Rather it points you in the direction of things to do further research into, where you might find them. The author is hilarious and manages to both cover the topic seriously and also have you laughing the whole way through. It also talks about social anxiety in a decent amount of depth which was useful and I would definitely read it again.
August 31, 2018
I know of Aaron Gillies through his Technically Ron Twitter account, with its shrewd observations on the absurdity of politics and life, so I was keen to read this.
How to Survive the End of the World offers a painfully honest and sometimes funny account of his experience of major anxiety – how it feels to experience it, the problems it has caused him, the lengths he has gone to in avoiding talking about it, and what happened when he finally asked for help. He also offers some advice on the coping strategies that have worked for him.
This is the strongest part of the book. People who have similar conditions have found it reassuring (though he is careful to point out that everyone’s experience is different). People who do not may learn something and be more empathetic.
I felt the book was on less firm ground when he reached beyond his own experience. I wasn’t sure that the overviews he gave of the different treatments would make sense to me if I didn’t already know about them. There are some odd interjections from celebrities at various points in the text which don’t add much. It’s almost as it someone from his publisher’s riffled through their contacts and told him to call these people and get something quotable over lunch.
The best of the interventions isn’t from a celebrity but from a group of young people with mental health problems who speak very clearly and movingly about their conditions. Gillies does a very good takedown of the current media obsession with blaming social media for everything from gang violence to children not learning musical instruments in schools. He points out that social media also enables people who feel isolated and unable to talk about their condition to find likeminded people and share experiences.
There is a narrative out there that we don’t talk about mental health problems enough. It is usually expressed by a celebrity talking at length about their mental health problems (often while promoting their latest album/film/book/reality show appearance). So on one level it seems we do nothing but talk about it. But on the other, we really don’t. It’s a lot easier to feel compassion for the sad but glamorous actor whose work you so admire than it is for Bob from Finance who is terse in emails and never laughs at your jokes. Bob from Finance might actually want something from you.
Gillies does not underestimate the negativity that people can experience (after all, Twitter) but I felt he did kind of suggest that if we only talked about it, things would be better. What if it isn’t? What if you open up to friends and family and are told you think too much or you overreact or you just get an exasperated rolling of the eyes?
What if you do reach out to a doctor? At a time when children feel they have to make a suicide attempt to get a referral for specialist help, or when people with eating disorders are told they’re not thin enough for treatment, how will it feel when you finally get up the courage to ask for help and are told that sorry, we can’t help with that, but you can join this waiting list?
It feels like this book is trying to draw in lots of disparate things – memoir, self-help and a wider overview of mental health in society. It didn’t always succeed but if you’re looking to understand more about living with anxiety (including your own) it’s a good place to start .
*
I received a copy of How to Survive the End of the World from the publisher via Netgalley.
Read more of my reviews on my blog katevane.com/blog
How to Survive the End of the World offers a painfully honest and sometimes funny account of his experience of major anxiety – how it feels to experience it, the problems it has caused him, the lengths he has gone to in avoiding talking about it, and what happened when he finally asked for help. He also offers some advice on the coping strategies that have worked for him.
This is the strongest part of the book. People who have similar conditions have found it reassuring (though he is careful to point out that everyone’s experience is different). People who do not may learn something and be more empathetic.
I felt the book was on less firm ground when he reached beyond his own experience. I wasn’t sure that the overviews he gave of the different treatments would make sense to me if I didn’t already know about them. There are some odd interjections from celebrities at various points in the text which don’t add much. It’s almost as it someone from his publisher’s riffled through their contacts and told him to call these people and get something quotable over lunch.
The best of the interventions isn’t from a celebrity but from a group of young people with mental health problems who speak very clearly and movingly about their conditions. Gillies does a very good takedown of the current media obsession with blaming social media for everything from gang violence to children not learning musical instruments in schools. He points out that social media also enables people who feel isolated and unable to talk about their condition to find likeminded people and share experiences.
There is a narrative out there that we don’t talk about mental health problems enough. It is usually expressed by a celebrity talking at length about their mental health problems (often while promoting their latest album/film/book/reality show appearance). So on one level it seems we do nothing but talk about it. But on the other, we really don’t. It’s a lot easier to feel compassion for the sad but glamorous actor whose work you so admire than it is for Bob from Finance who is terse in emails and never laughs at your jokes. Bob from Finance might actually want something from you.
Gillies does not underestimate the negativity that people can experience (after all, Twitter) but I felt he did kind of suggest that if we only talked about it, things would be better. What if it isn’t? What if you open up to friends and family and are told you think too much or you overreact or you just get an exasperated rolling of the eyes?
What if you do reach out to a doctor? At a time when children feel they have to make a suicide attempt to get a referral for specialist help, or when people with eating disorders are told they’re not thin enough for treatment, how will it feel when you finally get up the courage to ask for help and are told that sorry, we can’t help with that, but you can join this waiting list?
It feels like this book is trying to draw in lots of disparate things – memoir, self-help and a wider overview of mental health in society. It didn’t always succeed but if you’re looking to understand more about living with anxiety (including your own) it’s a good place to start .
*
I received a copy of How to Survive the End of the World from the publisher via Netgalley.
Read more of my reviews on my blog katevane.com/blog
April 19, 2020
2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge Advanced: A book with more than 20 letters in its title
This book is a great introduction for anxiety and those who live with an anxiety disorder(s). I have generalized anxiety with some social anxiety and performance anxiety thrown in there just for laughs. I've known I have anxiety since my early 20s, but I know I've suffered from it since I was a teenager. Since then I've done all kinds of research into this topic and on mental health in general and this book has some really sage advice. While it may not be groundbreaking for people who've already done their research and know all about CBT and exposure therapy, etc., I can see this helping people who are just now trying to figure what is happening in their brains that is making them feel the way that they do. And even though it may not groundbreaking, the things mentioned in this book can serve as a great reminder for those who know all the "tricks of the trade" but may have forgotten them or just need to reminds themselves that we are not alone.
This book is a great introduction for anxiety and those who live with an anxiety disorder(s). I have generalized anxiety with some social anxiety and performance anxiety thrown in there just for laughs. I've known I have anxiety since my early 20s, but I know I've suffered from it since I was a teenager. Since then I've done all kinds of research into this topic and on mental health in general and this book has some really sage advice. While it may not be groundbreaking for people who've already done their research and know all about CBT and exposure therapy, etc., I can see this helping people who are just now trying to figure what is happening in their brains that is making them feel the way that they do. And even though it may not groundbreaking, the things mentioned in this book can serve as a great reminder for those who know all the "tricks of the trade" but may have forgotten them or just need to reminds themselves that we are not alone.
June 18, 2018
Read a few chapters every few nights spread over the space of a month and it’s just what I needed:
humorous, but still so real and reassuring.
humorous, but still so real and reassuring.
July 29, 2018
This is one of the funniest and most honest self help books I've read, and I'm so glad I did! ♥️
August 4, 2018
Very poor, can't get over how self-obsessed this writer is. And while we are on the subject of 'self', also totally without self-awareness.
November 15, 2020
I'm into my 4th exciting decade of mental health fuckery and although I've either dealt with or found healthier coping mechanisms for most of it - it is certainly true that it DOES get better, something I once never would have believed and it's frightening to think I could have ended it now knowing how much happier I am - one aspect I've had to come to accept I can never rid myself of is Anxiety. This is my kind of self-help book; indeed, the only self-help book that's probably been of use to me as something other than shoving under the leg of a wobbly table because I'm too busy anxiously procrastinating to actually sort out the wobbly table (and obviously I can't let an actual human being into my house to sort it out, that would be dreadful). Lots I identified with here, some very helpful simple tips to manage anxiety and all done in a very humorous manner. Most enjoyable. I almost forgot to be anxious while I was reading it.
P.S. Read the whole thing before realising this was by 'technicallyron'. I'm not on Twitter so missed all the book info but I have found myself sharing many a tweet of his secondhand on Facebook. Also, sorry you're not into the inspirational quote posts (actually, neither am I, I post an anti-inspirational 'Good Morning' quote daily, which started off as an in-joke to counteract a friend's sickeningly optimistic 'Good Morning' quotes and I still do them years later because on a 'bad day' when I go off the radar it's become a way of letting friends know I'm still alive/OK but in need of a time-out as opposed to being sunk in an alcoholic stupor; even though my friend no longer posts his sickeningly optimistic morning quotes... oh hang on, did I cause that...?) I have found myself saving a shitload of quotes from the book to share on Facebook. Not enough to make it redundant buying the book though. More like free advertising. You're welcome.
P.S. Read the whole thing before realising this was by 'technicallyron'. I'm not on Twitter so missed all the book info but I have found myself sharing many a tweet of his secondhand on Facebook. Also, sorry you're not into the inspirational quote posts (actually, neither am I, I post an anti-inspirational 'Good Morning' quote daily, which started off as an in-joke to counteract a friend's sickeningly optimistic 'Good Morning' quotes and I still do them years later because on a 'bad day' when I go off the radar it's become a way of letting friends know I'm still alive/OK but in need of a time-out as opposed to being sunk in an alcoholic stupor; even though my friend no longer posts his sickeningly optimistic morning quotes... oh hang on, did I cause that...?) I have found myself saving a shitload of quotes from the book to share on Facebook. Not enough to make it redundant buying the book though. More like free advertising. You're welcome.
June 4, 2021
“it all comes down to trust: you feel safe around those you can trust, you can be yourself with these people or at the very least, you feel comfortable enough to let your guard down a little bit. anyone who makes you feel like you can be a little bit more like yourself is a good person in your life”.
this book deals with anxiety in an honest and sometimes funny way as it is based on the author’s account of his experience of it, the problems he has faced and the lengths he has gone in avoiding talking about it and what happened when he finally asked for help.
i love how the author took the opportunity to offer some advice on the coping strategies that have worked for him and also reassuring that in the end, everyone’s experience is different. i was actually a bit disturbed of the language used though ((like the number of times the F-word was used)) but that is probably just my preference when it comes to reading. its still quite a decent read for people to learn and be more empathetic in order to break mental health stigma.
sometimes books like this can also help in reassuring people with mental illness or mental health problems that they are not facing it alone and that, a lot of people go through it. just by reading another person’s experience, we can accept ourselves for who we are and learn to deal with it properly. recommend if you are looking for a more informal read of something that is actually really serious but actually gets to the point and does not mind the humorous parts of it.
this book deals with anxiety in an honest and sometimes funny way as it is based on the author’s account of his experience of it, the problems he has faced and the lengths he has gone in avoiding talking about it and what happened when he finally asked for help.
i love how the author took the opportunity to offer some advice on the coping strategies that have worked for him and also reassuring that in the end, everyone’s experience is different. i was actually a bit disturbed of the language used though ((like the number of times the F-word was used)) but that is probably just my preference when it comes to reading. its still quite a decent read for people to learn and be more empathetic in order to break mental health stigma.
sometimes books like this can also help in reassuring people with mental illness or mental health problems that they are not facing it alone and that, a lot of people go through it. just by reading another person’s experience, we can accept ourselves for who we are and learn to deal with it properly. recommend if you are looking for a more informal read of something that is actually really serious but actually gets to the point and does not mind the humorous parts of it.
March 3, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
È il primo libro che leggo sull’ansia o in generale sui disturbi mentali. Non è il classico libro di “auto aiuto”, Gillies è stato in grado di dar voce a tutti gli aspetti quotidiani e spesso sottovalutati che una persona ansiosa affronta giorno dopo giorno. Lo stile di scrittura è scorrevole, non risulta pesante nonostante i temi trattati. L’ansia non viene descritta in maniera scientifica (nonostante ci sia qualche cenno e riferimento a come funziona il nostro cervello e la nostra mente in determinate situazioni) e tutto ciò aiuta ancora di più nel sentirsi compresi in un modo rassicurante. Tra le righe si nota uno spiccato senso dell’umorismo dell’autore che mi ha fatto divertire, regalandomi qualche risata tra una pagina e l’altra.
Lo consiglio a tutti coloro che si sentono spesso sopraffatti dall’ansia, queste poche pagine sicuramente non la faranno sparire ma vi sentirete capiti e meno soli. Oserei consigliarlo anche chi apparentemente non soffre o non deve fare conti spesso con l’ansia, è importante conoscere questo disturbo e imparare a capire come comportarsi con chi ne soffre.🌻
È il primo libro che leggo sull’ansia o in generale sui disturbi mentali. Non è il classico libro di “auto aiuto”, Gillies è stato in grado di dar voce a tutti gli aspetti quotidiani e spesso sottovalutati che una persona ansiosa affronta giorno dopo giorno. Lo stile di scrittura è scorrevole, non risulta pesante nonostante i temi trattati. L’ansia non viene descritta in maniera scientifica (nonostante ci sia qualche cenno e riferimento a come funziona il nostro cervello e la nostra mente in determinate situazioni) e tutto ciò aiuta ancora di più nel sentirsi compresi in un modo rassicurante. Tra le righe si nota uno spiccato senso dell’umorismo dell’autore che mi ha fatto divertire, regalandomi qualche risata tra una pagina e l’altra.
Lo consiglio a tutti coloro che si sentono spesso sopraffatti dall’ansia, queste poche pagine sicuramente non la faranno sparire ma vi sentirete capiti e meno soli. Oserei consigliarlo anche chi apparentemente non soffre o non deve fare conti spesso con l’ansia, è importante conoscere questo disturbo e imparare a capire come comportarsi con chi ne soffre.🌻
February 23, 2019
My expectations for this book might've been a tad too high. I didn't get on with the - in my opinion - overly "quirky" writing style and couldn't fully appreciate the author's humor. I also didn't relate to his experience with anxiety as much as I thought I would. But if you do suffer from anxiety or simply wish to know more about it, I suggest you give it a go - especially if you're a fan of Aaron Gillies.
May 21, 2020
I saw so much of myself and my anxiety in this book, I think I highlighted half of it. It’s a hilarious and insightful companion to social anxiety, that foregrounds and returns to a really simple principle: no one expects you to handle more than you can handle but you. Reading that over and over again feels like taking a deep breath for the first time in ages.
This also has an updated chapter on anxiety during a pandemic, if that’s a thing you’ve been looking for.
This also has an updated chapter on anxiety during a pandemic, if that’s a thing you’ve been looking for.
May 11, 2020
I related to so much of this book. It was nice to read a book about anxiety that was funny and relatable, rather than deep and heavy.
I absolutely adored the writing style (I actually found myself stopping to laugh every couple of pages) and I just felt like I could relate to it so much - I highly recommend if you have anxiety. It’s not going to be life changing but it might make you feel heard.
I absolutely adored the writing style (I actually found myself stopping to laugh every couple of pages) and I just felt like I could relate to it so much - I highly recommend if you have anxiety. It’s not going to be life changing but it might make you feel heard.
February 6, 2019
Brilliant book. Laugh out loud hilarious, and real, and horrifying (wow do we deal with a lot, as humans and as people with anxiety), and it's just all round brilliant.
If you have anxiety, I highly recommend this one.
If you have anxiety, I highly recommend this one.
May 17, 2022
This book's in-your-face style threw me off at first but, over time, the everything-at-the-wall approach won me over and I consider the book a work of genius. The sheer violence of the writing, in describing anxiety, was so aggressive and yet so powerful; it was a furious and marvellous work of art.
January 7, 2019
As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression I was looking forward to this read.
What a crushing disappointment. Poorly written, with little understanding of prose and how the written word should flow. Far too many attempts at ill-judged 'humour'. Actually, the supposed 'humour' is just a list of foul language in an attempt to appear clever. And what is with all the crowbarred 'celebrity' comments? At least we learn the author has connections?
All-in-all, a very shabby and poor entry into the 'self-help' market.
What a crushing disappointment. Poorly written, with little understanding of prose and how the written word should flow. Far too many attempts at ill-judged 'humour'. Actually, the supposed 'humour' is just a list of foul language in an attempt to appear clever. And what is with all the crowbarred 'celebrity' comments? At least we learn the author has connections?
All-in-all, a very shabby and poor entry into the 'self-help' market.
February 28, 2020
In all its silliness, which might be enjoyed or not, very informative and reassuring book.
April 5, 2022
Funny
Witty
Relatable
Witty
Relatable
June 10, 2018
I don't follow Aaron Gillies (@TechnicallyRon) on Twitter, though I occasionally see entertaining things retweeted into my timeline; T, on the other hand, does follow him, and on seeing that he'd written a book about anxiety entitled How to Survive the End of the World (when it's in your own head) thought it would be an ideal book to buy someone who has spent a considerable amount of the last couple of years trying to swim upstream against a tidal surge of fear of apocalypse (nuclear war, climate change, meteor impact, fascist dystopia - the possibilities are endless, and my brain delights in running through the list at 4am. I hate my brain).
Unfortunately, while the book is a very good resource for understanding and managing anxiety across a wide range of everyday situations (work, relationships, socialising, relaxing - and it is good to know that I'm not the only person who ends up in an anxious frenzy in the run-up to the relaxing holiday I so desperately need) and tackles a serious subject in a readable and humorous way (though it is a bit sweary and has a lot of references to alcohol and drinking whch I wasn't completely comfortable with), the one thing it doesn't actually address is how to deal with an overwhelming fear of the actual end of the world; instead, the title actually references the way that anxiety can make everything *feel* like the end of the world. However, although I already knew most of the suggested techniques for dealing with anxiety in everyday life, and although I think the book is really aimed at a slightly younger audience (at one point Gillies mentions MySpace and then adds 'for those of you too young to remember MySpace', whereas I think I'm too old to really remember MySpace - it was definitely a thing younger people than me did) it is always nice to read something that reflects the reality of the way I experience the world (and it strikes me that most of the books I've read about mental health have been about depression, rather than anxiety, and although they are frequently found together* they are different experiences and it was nice to read something specifically focused on anxiety), and I did learn some new things (such as the fact that there is an actual word for biting the skin of your fingers, and that it's a recognised anxiety symptom and not just a horrible habit I can't seem to lose). I'd say it's definitely worth reading if you suffer from anxiety, or are close to someone who suffers from anxiety, and want to know more about it, assuming you are OK with the chatty young-bloke style and the drinking references.
*Gillies' account of the chemical processes of anxiety in the brain, and particularly the fact that when the brain goes into fight-or-flight mode serotonin production is suspended, suddenly made sense of the anxiety-depression cycle I go through again and again; I struggle with anxiety, eventually slide into depression, claw my way out, and then the anxiety starts up again...
Unfortunately, while the book is a very good resource for understanding and managing anxiety across a wide range of everyday situations (work, relationships, socialising, relaxing - and it is good to know that I'm not the only person who ends up in an anxious frenzy in the run-up to the relaxing holiday I so desperately need) and tackles a serious subject in a readable and humorous way (though it is a bit sweary and has a lot of references to alcohol and drinking whch I wasn't completely comfortable with), the one thing it doesn't actually address is how to deal with an overwhelming fear of the actual end of the world; instead, the title actually references the way that anxiety can make everything *feel* like the end of the world. However, although I already knew most of the suggested techniques for dealing with anxiety in everyday life, and although I think the book is really aimed at a slightly younger audience (at one point Gillies mentions MySpace and then adds 'for those of you too young to remember MySpace', whereas I think I'm too old to really remember MySpace - it was definitely a thing younger people than me did) it is always nice to read something that reflects the reality of the way I experience the world (and it strikes me that most of the books I've read about mental health have been about depression, rather than anxiety, and although they are frequently found together* they are different experiences and it was nice to read something specifically focused on anxiety), and I did learn some new things (such as the fact that there is an actual word for biting the skin of your fingers, and that it's a recognised anxiety symptom and not just a horrible habit I can't seem to lose). I'd say it's definitely worth reading if you suffer from anxiety, or are close to someone who suffers from anxiety, and want to know more about it, assuming you are OK with the chatty young-bloke style and the drinking references.
*Gillies' account of the chemical processes of anxiety in the brain, and particularly the fact that when the brain goes into fight-or-flight mode serotonin production is suspended, suddenly made sense of the anxiety-depression cycle I go through again and again; I struggle with anxiety, eventually slide into depression, claw my way out, and then the anxiety starts up again...
May 7, 2018
What really made this book so unique and refreshing for me was the humorous approach. If you're a super self-conscious perfectionist notorious worrier, you can take the information given to you and literally make yourself worry even more, but this book is so helpful because it uses humour to tackle something scary and difficult to comprehend. I caught myself laughing out loud so many times - almost as many as I wept or shook my head repeating "it me" and recognising that my experience mirrors one of the author's observations. It feels like having a friend who understands your experience guiding you through all the rough moments, one that empathises and is ready to advise you because they've been there before.
Also, the lists of small steps you can take to tackle your anxiety really helps. Though not everything is applicable to me (and the author notes that the experience of anxiety is very individual) and I would like to know more about different aspects, there are so many things that sound doable, or maybe even possible to be made a routine. It also gives you the chance to ask questions to a counsellor and research on your own if there's something particular that makes you panic.
Please read it: if you suspect that there might be a problem, if you know someone you're worried about, or simply to educate yourself and be more empathetic. It's an excellent book.
Also, the lists of small steps you can take to tackle your anxiety really helps. Though not everything is applicable to me (and the author notes that the experience of anxiety is very individual) and I would like to know more about different aspects, there are so many things that sound doable, or maybe even possible to be made a routine. It also gives you the chance to ask questions to a counsellor and research on your own if there's something particular that makes you panic.
Please read it: if you suspect that there might be a problem, if you know someone you're worried about, or simply to educate yourself and be more empathetic. It's an excellent book.
May 29, 2018
I've been following Aaron on twitter for years now, and I was excited to see that he released a book relating to anxiety and mental health. I think this is the first book of its kind I have read, so I can't compare to many other books.
This was overall a quick and quirky read, and I liked reading his analyses and anecdotes stemming from his own anxiety, but at points the information got repetitive. While some of the humor was fun and airy, it kind of bogged down some of the text and truthfully got annoying.
Overall, anyone suffering with sever anxiety disorders will already know much of the information presented in the book (at least I did), but it was good to have my experiences validated and to know other people go through the same things. I would have liked to read this right when I had initial issues with anxiety.
This was overall a quick and quirky read, and I liked reading his analyses and anecdotes stemming from his own anxiety, but at points the information got repetitive. While some of the humor was fun and airy, it kind of bogged down some of the text and truthfully got annoying.
Overall, anyone suffering with sever anxiety disorders will already know much of the information presented in the book (at least I did), but it was good to have my experiences validated and to know other people go through the same things. I would have liked to read this right when I had initial issues with anxiety.
December 26, 2018
This book is very honest and funny. It deals with the often sensitive subject of mental health without being patronising and is engaging. However, it was littered with comma splices which made me anxious and is perhaps why it ended up taking me weeks to finish the book. As a grammar and punctuation pedant, it niggled me that these hadn’t been edited out. Without the comma splicing this would be great.
May 2, 2018
There aren’t many books that I would say everybody needs to read, but this is one of them. Whether you suffer from anxiety yourself or know somebody who does this book will tap into the ancious brain perfectly.
It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel less alone in the world of anxiety.
Believe me when I say this is an important book.
It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel less alone in the world of anxiety.
Believe me when I say this is an important book.
June 17, 2019
Less of a guide than a one-sided, half humorous conversation. Many parts are spot on about everyday struggles with anxiety, but the whole book gets bogged down by attempts at humor and bouts of self-deprecating jokes.
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