This Book is NOT for Everyone!
May 15, 2023
This Book is NOT for Everyone!
Disclaimer
Warning: Do not read this book if you are offendable!
While most of the books that I review are either tied to faith or business, this book does not fall directly into either of those categories. Still, me being me, I felt seen as I read this book.
In Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson uses irreverent humor, significant profanity, and writes about difficult topics such as self-harm and suicidal tendencies.
Talking About Mental Health
Lawson is very open about her own struggles with mental health and neurodivergence.
If any of these topics are too much for you to engage with, I understand and encourage you to read another book.
I could not stop laughing as I read (listened to) Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.
Some library algorithm recommended this book to me and the happy racoon on the front called to me. I rarely think of myself as a happy person. I experience joy and even sometimes contentment, yet happiness has felt illusive for most of my life.
Becoming Vulnerable
Unlike Lawson, I have not been incredibly public about my own struggles with depression, anxiety, and even suicidal desires.
Here are a few of the reasons why I avoid talking about my own personal mental health.
- I am usually in a position of leadership and leading others is not usually an opportunity for me to divulge my own struggles unless they directly relate to the group or individual that I am leading.
- Even from a young age, I felt responsible for the mood and emotions of those around me.
- There is such a wide variety in the approach of Christians to the topic of mental health. (From: “you just don’t have enough faith” to “mental health is even more important than spiritual health.”)
Reading Furiously Happy has spurred me to be increasingly honest and vulnerable about my struggles, both in public and with myself. I am still working out what that means in a tangible way, especially since I still feel responsible for the emotions of those around me.
Yet, this review provides me the opportunity to take a step in the right direction.
I struggle with depression. Recently, my doctor changed the medication I take to keep me from those low lows. It was a medication that I had been on for most of my adult life. I was nervous about switching off of it because it helped me not want to take action on self-harm thoughts even though it wasn’t as effective as it had once been.
A few days into taking my new medication, I turned to my wife and said, “I’m happy. Is this what normal people feel like?”
Even on this new medication, I have to choose to be happy and joyful, but it’s not quite as hard as it has been for most of my life and when I neglect good mental health and spiritual practices to rely on medication, I still hit pretty low lows.
God has made you a multifaceted person. You are more than simply your physiology, emotional health, or spirit. All of that combines to make you who you are. Solving one problem is not an excuse to neglect the rest.
Furiously Happy
Furiously Happy is a collection of encouragement, musings, and funny stories.
One of the reasons Jenny Lawson wrote this book was to help people know that they are not alone and my experience reading this book shows that she has successfully achieved that mission.
Another reason she wrote this book was to help others choose to be furiously happy and whether you read this book or not, I hope and pray that you choose to be furiously happy even when it feels like life is collapsing around you.
Still Hesitant
I am still hesitant to recommend this book because I know that many in my audience would be deeply offended by this book.
Jenny cusses profusely. Her humor is quirky, irreverent, and sometimes dark.
However, if you struggle feeling you are alone in your mental health struggles and are able and willing to choose not to be offended, then Furiously Happy is a book that may help you feel seen and give you some helpful practices along the way.
Please know that I am not endorsing everything said in this book and know that it is not written from a Christian perspective. I just found it helpful and wanted to pass this book along to others who might feel the same.
Get Your Copy
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Thank You
Thank you for purchasing using the links in this blog. At no additional cost to you, when you purchase using our links, we receive a small portion of your purchase price for introducing you to the book. Thank you again!
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