About this item
Joining the ranks of such acclaimed accounts as Manic, Brain on Fire, and Monkey Mind, a deeply personal, funny, and sometimes painful look at anxiety and its impact from writer and commentator Kat Kinsman.Feeling anxious? Can't sleep because your brain won't stop recycling thoughts? Unable to make a decision because you're too afraid you'll make the wrong one? You're not alone.In Hi, Anxiety, beloved food writer, editor, and commentator Kat Kinsman expands on the high profile pieces she wrote for CNN.com about depression, and its wicked cousin, anxiety. Taking us back to her adolescence, when she was diagnosed with depression at fourteen, Kat speaks eloquently with pathos and humor about her skin picking, hand flapping, "nervousness" that made her the recipient of many a harsh taunt. With her mother also gripped by depression and health issues throughout her life, Kat came to live in a constant state of unease - that she would fail, that she would never find love . . . that she would end up just like her mother.Now, as a successful media personality, Kat still battles anxiety every day. That anxiety manifests in strange, and deeply personal ways. But as she found when she started to write about her struggles, Kat is not alone in feeling like the simple act of leaving the house, or getting a haircut can be crippling. And though periodic medication, counseling, a successful career and a happy marriage have brought her relief, the illness, because that is what anxiety is, remains.Exploring how millions are affected anxiety, Hi, Anxiety is a clarion call for everyone - but especially women - struggling with this condition. Though she is a strong advocate for seeking medical intervention, Kinsman implores those suffering to come out of the shadows - to talk about their battle openly and honestly. With humor, bravery, and writing that brings bestsellers like Laurie Notaro and Jenny Lawson to mind, Hi, Anxiety tackles a difficult subject with amazing grace.
About the Author
Kat Kinsman is senior food and drinks editor at Time Inc.'s Extra Crispy and former editor at large and editor in chief of Tasting Table. She is a frequent public speaker on the topics of food and mental health, and addresses their connection on her website Chefs with Issues. She is a former writer and editor for CNN.com, where she was nominated for the James Beard Broadcast Award in the TV Segment category and won the 2011 EPPY Best Food Website for CNN's Eatocracy. After she published a personal essay on her struggles with anxiety for CNN Living, people came out of the woodwork to share their own experiences and it felt like the beginning of a conversation that needed to happen.
Stigma kills, and frank, open conversation is the best weapon against it. In her upcoming nonfiction book, "Hi, Anxiety," Kinsman shares stories of her lifelong battle with anxiety in the hopes that talking about it honestly and unapologetically will make other people feel less isolated and get the care they deserve.
Though the book is due out from Harper Collins imprint Dey Street Books on November 15, 2016, the conversation can start here. Feel open and free to weigh in with your stories and struggles and know that you're not alone. https://www.facebook.com/hianxietybook
