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Member Reviews
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As someone who suffers with anxiety as soon as I saw this I requested it. The book itself is broken into easy to read and digest parts which makes it less overwhelming to read. there was a lot in it I sat with and thought about and some other things I had picked up myself along the way. Its a great introduction into the world of coping with anxiety. I say coping because anxiety like the author states is not curable. It will always be a part of you but its a part that at its essence is trying to keep you safe you just need to not let it take over. I liked how the author described it as that. It makes it feel like less of a curse and more misunderstood.
There are techniques aplenty to try out and thought provoking ideas and I found it to be a pleasant, helpful and quick read. It makes me want to attend a session with the author because I feel like he'd be able to help me figure out the true root of my anxiety.
Very interesting and one I will recommend. thank you to the author, net galley and the publishers for the ARC.
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Addicted to Anxiety was a good, easy to follow and informative guide on anxiety and how to deal with it. It was easy to follow and broken in sections with chapter summaries too.
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Addicted to Anxiety is based on the argument that anxiety epidemic is also an addiction epidemic; being addicted to anxiety.
O’Kane argues this in a more nuanced way in the book.
I am sure many readers will pick this book because of its strong relevance.
O’Kane makes anxiety control very accessible with this book.
He introduces a couple his own frameworks to overcome anxiety and not succumb to it.
To be perfectly honest, I did not love this book. The blurb and the concept felt like I was going to read a fresh take, and new approaches to managing anxiety, This may be partly my wrong assumption. I have widely read about anxiety, and most likely, the ideal target audience for this book is the reader who has not looked into anxiety, their own anxiety that much yet. The same goes for therapists - early career professionals might enjoy this book more.
I appreciated O’Kane’s honesty, his opening up about his own anxiety and his professional practice, which were balanced well. He witnessed the Troubles in NI. I like to hear the work of experts who grew up in NI because of a personal connection.
The book is written with the best of intentions, and provides a good introduction and summary to anxiety.
The writing style is a great fit for the target audience. I only wanted a more elaborate, more evidence-based book.
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This was a really good, easy to follow and informative guide into living with anxiety and how to deal with it effectively.
The author himself suffers with anxiety and writes with knowledge and humour, which make for an entertaining and interesting read. The steps to follow are simple and straightforward to understand and would be a great starting place for anyone interested in or struggling with anxiety to read. It would be a good book then to revisit and check that you are using the techniques introduced to best effect.
I would recommend this book and will definitely revisit it and use the author’s advice.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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In this book, O'Kane steps through anxiety - the why, the how, the where and leads you to a place to challenge it. It's not condescending, nor is it overly wordy. It's written like a good therapy session - or sessions!
That being said, there was nothing revolutionary in it for me personally - it largely cemented or reinforced things that I already knew, did or where aware of. I'm unsure how I feel about the concept of anxiety addiction - on one hand, I see some of that arguments, on the other...if it were that easy/simple to stop then I'm sure those of us who struggle with anxiety would... But then I suppose that's probably what defines an addiction... It just jarred a lot, and not in the way that challenging a thought or behaviour can, just in a way I can't verbalise.
There were some excellent phrases and sentences to revisit in the book and I think I'd you're someone, or know someone, that struggles with anxiety but is reluctant to seek help, this could be a great starting place. O'Kane isn't judgey or preachy but gives solid, grounded advice and techniques.
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As soon as I saw the title I know this book was for me as I have really felt recently that anxiety is taking hold of my life. It was a great read which really broke down anxiety, helped me to understand it and showed me how to break some of the habits that come with anxiety.
The book was set out into 3 sections was laid out well and was easy to understand with chapter summaries.
It was great to hear about not just the authors issues with anxiety but also case studies which added to the book.
Overall this was a great read which I would definitely recommend to anyone who suffers with anxiety. It has some excellent advice, tips and processes on how to overcome the addiction to anxiety which I will definitely be using and I think will improve my life.
Thanks to NetGalley, Owen o’Kane and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.