Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This book is fantastic if you are a trans/nonbinary person with an anxiety disorder that you don't fully understand yet, or who has a hard time coping with anxiety. I felt very seen reading this book, despite being a very cis-passing, feminine person who was AFAB. I know I cannot appreciate, and do not experience, the lived experiences of transmisogyny and the struggles of being transfem that the author does as she is a trans woman. However, there are still many commonalities, making this book a useful tool for folks with anxiety across the gender spectrum who aren't cis.

It's written in an accessible way with a very conversational tone that makes it easy to understand. If you don't like this kind of writing style, it may be hard to get past as it oftentimes is very casual-sounding. I enjoyed this for the most part, as it often allowed me to breeze through the book, however sometimes I felt like it was too much and could have used some refining. For example, with the first chapter on myth-busting, a lot of it was saying things like "just no" more than it was actually explaining why these myths and misconceptions are wrong. In this way, it didn't really give tools for folks to rebuke these sorts of false statements about anxiety.

I also found that it was very simplistic or like a beginner's understanding to being trans and/or anxiety, which left me wondering who the intended audience was. It sometimes felt like it was for cis people and/or people without anxiety to learn, and other time felt like it was for trans folks with anxiety, but overall seemed inconsistent.

I really liked the tidbits of history in the intro, and the author's use of anecdotes and her own experiences to illustrate anxiety, as well as the "On Anxiety" sections where different trans folks talk about their experiences with anxiety and tips to cope. It's very grounding to see your own thoughts and worries reflected back by other people who experience similar things. I also have dealt with anxiety for a while but have not really taken the time to reflect on my coping mechanisms or seek out new ones as much as I should, so reading what works for others is super beneficial.

Overall, I think the book could have greatly benefited from going through another editing and beta reader stage, and from a clearer direction on the intended audience, and then it would have been 4-5 star material. Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I recommend this book frequently to clients who are processing their trans experience and dealing with anxiety. We need more books like this!

The Anxiety Book for Trans People is a self help guide written by a trans person for trans people. The author has her own experiences with anxiety, giving this book a very authentic tone. The advice is good, but the thing I took most from this book was simply the validation of another trans person speaking candidly about anxiety.

The book is written in a friendly, down to earth way, and the explanations of anxiety are engaging and easy to understand. The book includes sections where different trans people, including nonbinary people, talk about their own experiences with anxiety. I think reading this will definitely help trans people to feel less alone. Sometimes it can feel like you're the only person who is anxious about certain things, and that everyone around you has their life together, but this book shows that we're all dealing with this together.

It's really nice to see advice for anxiety specifically targeting trans people because so often our experiences are ignored in more general advice. As Benson writes, being trans can add another layer to the more general anxieties that most people experience. It can be hard to pull apart what is just anxiety and what are genuine fears due to being trans in a transphobic world. This book is a starting point for dealing with that, and includes some practical ideas of how to deal with anxiety.

This is a good book that I think any trans person who experiences anxiety will find validating and helpful.

The Anxiety Book for Trans People is a resource not only for those in the transgender community, but also for anyone who wishes to learn more about the community and our struggles. Made up of a variety of perspectives and touching on subjects faced by many transgender folx, especially those with anxiety and depression, this book is a tender recognition and educational tool in one.

The Anxiety Book for Trans People by Freiya Benson aims to support trans and other non-cis identities in dealing with anxiety. Benson has previously published Trans Love, an anthology of trans and non-binary voices.

The book focuses on experiences of anxiety, and in particular anxiety related to having non-cis identities, rather specifically on anxiety disorders. As such, I think it would be just as suitable for people with “normal” levels of anxiety as for people with anxiety disorders.

Topics covered included trans-specific myths about anxiety, handling social media, coming out, dealing with washrooms and changing rooms, and getting healthcare. There was a chapter on body dysmorphia, and the author shared how self-portrait photography was empowering and helpful in reclaiming her body.

The author talked about surgery, and how she sees it as a way of correcting what went wrong due to testosterone at puberty. I wrote not long ago about a law passed in Arkansas restricting access to puberty blockers, and Benson’s framing of the issue really underscored the importance of gender-affirming care.

The book covers medication and several different forms of therapy as treatment options. The author acknowledges that, for her, dealing with gender-affirming physical issues has had to take priority financially over getting therapy. There are also plenty of D-I-Y ideas for managing anxiety that don’t necessarily cost a thing.

Interspersed throughout the book are guest narratives by other trans and non-binary authors sharing their experiences with anxiety. This provides a good picture of both shared experiences and individual diversity.

While much of the book is focused on challenges, there’s also a chapter devoted to positives, including finding joy, gratitude, and kindness. It’s positive without any toxic positivity, which is always a good thing.

Benson admits she’s not an expert, and this book is based on what she’s learned from personal experience. That’s definitely a strength with this book, as it speaks straight to the intended audience using regular, non-clinical language. At its core, this is a book for trans people, focused on the anxiety that’s almost inevitable while navigating a cis-centric world. I think this was a book that needed to be written.

As a trans person who has been out for almost 10 years, this book was definitely less targeted at me and more targeted at folks that aren't as far along in their transition. I know that as a younger trans person, especially as a teenager when I was still figuring out gender stuff this book would have been a godsend.

I think this book is great, and the target audience for it is really going to enjoy it and really get a lot out of the book.

THE ANXIETY BOOK FOR TRANS PEOPLE is a short, easily digestible piece of literature that gives trans readers a guide to managing their anxiety in a stress inducing world. I appreciate Freiya Benson's approach in breaking down this book into the sections she did. The writing style was refreshing, but including more informational texts within her own writing was a brilliant decision. I also loved the discussions on Trans Joy, near the end! This book was something I can see a lot of younger trans people getting the most out of. By no means was this a bad book, just something I, as a trans person that's been out since I was sixteen, could not get a lot of new information out of. Still would, and plan on, happily recommending it whenever I get the chance! I ended up rating it a 3.5/5, however I rounded up to a 4 because I think this is a book that would do a lot of good in the right hands.

Freiya is the older trans sister we all wished we had. She's not a mental health professional so her approach is personal. She relays her experiences with anxiety as a trans woman in addition to inserting a number of other trans voices in each chapter on how they define, experience, and cope with anxiety. The questions she asks others are always the same and their answers range from profound to predictable, so it's definitely a mixed bag with that aspect but I do appreciate it being there. She covers a lot of topics from anxiety around social situations, navigating medical needs, employment/finances, etc. all from the perspective of being a trans person and knowing what it's like to have to deal with these things. There are resources scattered throughout to dig deeper. This may not be the last book you need to help you cope with your anxiety but I think it's a great starting point. One modality that isn't mentioned in the book that I personally recommend is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for which Russ Harris writes a great introduction to for non-clinicians in The Happiness Trap. Alex Stitt recently wrote ACT for Gender Identity, which I have not read yet and believe it is geared towards clinicians but it may be another resource.

I'm really glad this book exists.

As a transwoman and someone who has dealt with anxiety for the majority of my adult life, I was really happy to see this book was being made, and even happier when I saw I was given and ARC so I could read it sooner.

At its core, this is a self help book. As the title suggests, it is about Anxiety- and how it presents in all people, then gets in to specifics of how it might affect us as trans people. And I really loved the advise it dispensed. Even if every issue wasn't something I specifically deal with on a day to day level, the advise seemed really solid. I also learned a bit about the history of documented anxiety and that was interesting.

This book doesn't always go the most in depth to issues, and it's not an academic work on anxiety, but I do believe it will help people.

When I first started the book I actually wondered a bit how much it would directly help me as I'm both several years into my transition, as well as have had my share of therapy and have established strategies dealing with anxiety- but this book definitely did present me with new ways to examine myself and my actions. And I think the advise I knew already is great for other readers too.

The writing was lovely. The way Benson presented her work and her ideas was so welcoming, and often very funny, even with dealing with serious issues like anxiety, dysphoria, and social exclusion. This whole book felt warm and wonderful.

I do want to note though, The formatting for me was kinda rough. I don’t know if it was just my kindle because I haven’t seen other reviewers mention it, but it was a continuing issue throughout the book. The main problem is how footnotes showed up. I’m glad the book cited specific sources, but whenever one was added, the footnote itself wasn’t at the bottom of a page, it usually showed up in the middle of the next paragraph. It just broke the flow of reading several times. One time in particular, I wanted to highlight a particularly hard-hitting point in a paragraph, but a citation was right in the middle of it. And I couldn’t highlight the passage I wanted without the unrelated citation. Maybe before official publication I wonder if these could be switched to endnotes at the end of chapters. Or maybe it’s just something weird that happened on my copy I was given, and on my kindle. I don't know. It’s not enough of an issue to take away from this book, but I felt if I didn’t say something about it, the review would be missing something.

I'm very glad this book exists. It is important. I read Trans Care by Hil Malatino earlier this year, and it fills my heart to see our community coming together like this to support each other. 4.5/5

<i> Thank you to Netgally and Jessica Kingsley Productions for sending me and ARC of this book </i>

This was a fascinating read and had the perfect balance of information and personal experience to not feel overwhelmed.

I took a great deal from The Anxiety Book for Trans People and found myself recognising my own anxieties and fears from some of the recollections.

Freiya Benson has written a book that I truly believe is needed and wanted to help those who truly do live in a unique life and experience anxiety that is linked primarily to their life experience, internalised doubt and experience from others.

The techniques suggested are simple and a reminder that we are all human and have a faults and our frailties, I am really glad that I chose to read this and think that I, and many others will feel like they aren't alone or no longer incapable of fighting the demons of anxiety.

I really needed this book. I am a trans man with an anxiety and panic disorder, and since this quarantine I moved back in with my conservative family in a red state and started hormones. Obviously, I have a lot of trans related anxiety currently. This book really helped me organize my current feelings and struggles, and validated my experiences. It really helped me realize just how much of my social anxiety is rooted in transphobia. Especially recently I’m finding it harder and harder to go in public, and now this book made me realize its due to the frequent transphobia I’ve been experiencing recently due to living in a red state again. It also gave me good coping mechanisms, and hope for it getting easier.

I found The Anxiety Book for Trans People to be an insightful read about the history of anxiety, ways to battle it, and how it affects people who identify as transgender.

Freiya is so welcoming in her writing, she had a lovely disclaimer at the beginning about using the correct terms and aiming to be inclusive. She included so many relatable stories from her life, told in the relation to the topic of the chapters. By the by the end of the book it almost felt like she was an old friend.

I loved the amount of different people with different identities whose interviews were included in this book. All of them struggle with some form of anxiety and it’s nice to know how anxiety affects a wide variety of gender identities.

As someone that suffers from anxiety, I was already doing some of the things that Freiya suggested to help alleviate it but I had no knowledge on the history of anxiety in mankind. The fact that there’s documentation that proves that anxiety was even a problem for the ancient Greeks was mind blowing.

The mindfulness activities throughout the book were an interesting way to look deeper into ourselves and I found them to be a fun engaging experience.

Freiya has a great sense of humor and I’m always a fan of a book that comes with a recipe at the end.

The Anxiety Book for Trans People is a great read for anyone struggling with anxiety, whether you identify as trans or not.

Overall a helpful book in a space that needs more books of it's kind.. While the author is very upfront that they are speaking of their own experience and not as a professional, I would have preferred some input from professionals even in the form of an interview. I did appreciate that the author used interviews from other trans folx (if there was a professional interview I may have missed it, I was reading the book as I would if I had bought it by scanning and reading in depth the parts that apply to my struggle). There were also times when the tone was so conversation it sounded rushed or like reading a YA self help which is fine but a bit uncomfortable for a 34 year old reader who already feels that they should have this figured out by now.

That said, as an agender person, I have never previously found a book that addresses the specific struggles of being nonbinary/trans and anxiety. The information felt well researched and was presented in a clear, nonjudgmental tone. Having already been to therapy, much of the information felt like an introductory guide but there was still some that was new to me. The candid and kind tone around many topics especially choosing what to say to get treatment, being trans enough, and pressure from outside and inside the queer community was refreshing and very validating. I also appreciated that while the author is in the UK, they keep the scope wide and nonjudgmental when speaking about how to fund any transition costs including sex work and crowdfunding and why it is okay to choose what makes you comfortable in that or really any space.

Overall very affirming and released some stress for me just to read my own thoughts reflected and validated by someone in the community but not of my exact experience especially as someone without access to a larger in person trans community. It does feel like a book I would revisit and probably form different opinions on each time depending on how I am feeling that day which I think is ideal for a self help book though it does make reviewing difficult. I would love to see this followed up with a more in depth workbook..

As a trans person with anxiety, I saw this book and knew that I was in the target audience for this.

The author puts things into word that I struggle to and it helped me to feel like I’m not alone.

The book talks about anxiety in general, as well as anxiety that trans people have in relation to being trans.

It took me a little while to get through but that’s because sometimes non-fiction can be a little slow for me. I always find it difficult to rate compared to fiction.

I enjoyed this book andI loved that the author included other trans people’s views throughout

This was a dense book to get through, with little in it to break all of that up. However, it's a vast wealth of resources for trans people (and honestly, just most people in general who live with anxiety -- though it's certainly geared for trans folx). There was great acknowledgments of where the anxiety comes from and how to best combat it, as well as methods to employ to help lessen anxiety in your life. There's also advice on how to live with anxieties -- learning to come to terms with the things you cannot change in your life. Ultimately, it's a great read and really empowering, but it is dense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for offering an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Trans Anxiety Handbook is an accessible, easy-to-read guide on handling anxiety as a trans person. Author Freiya Benson disclaims early on that she's decided to use "trans" as an umbrella term for anyone not cis, and as a genderqueer / agender person, I thought that worked out fine.

Benson approaches the intersectionality of being trans and having anxiety with a casual, personable style, and covers such topics as social anxiety, handling anxiety about medical services, coming out as trans/ not cis, and anxiety's effects on dysphoria. Interspersed with these chapters are short Q&A interviews with other trans folks who deal with anxiety, which offer welcome additional perspectives to Benson's own experiences.

I think this book is sorely needed. It's targeted at the general audience with no assumptions made about a reader's academic knowledge about gender identity, transgender issues, or anxiety disorders. It offers good, basic practical advice and favors realistic tips over theoretical discussion.

That said, there were some places where I felt like a little more reference to theory would have been helpful, or would have grounded the advice somewhat. I also feel that if you have some background in gender studies, trans studies, etc., and/or if you've been dealing with anxiety and/or have been out as trans for a while, a lot of this information will not be new to you. The book still works well as an introduction, though, or a reminder. I enjoyed it very much.

I shared this book with a person in my life who is questioning their gender identity and struggling with that - the score is based on their feedback. They found some of the suggestions helpful and it reinforced discussions they are already having in therapy so they were very pleased by that. They suggested it would be an excellent guide for someone struggling with capital A anxiety but also very useful for those in their position who have no formal diagnosis but are coming to terms with potential big changes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was super helpful in expressing ways for trans people to relieve themselves of constant anxiety. The personal accords of experiences were certainly things all trans people can identify and relate to. The exercises were helpful in addressing moments of anxiety and dysphoria.

This book is amazing and a much-needed resource for trans people. I'm so grateful this resource exists and ordered this for the library for our trans community.