I haven't dabbled much in mental health memoirs. I assumed it would make me sad and/or make me believe I was suddenly dealing with their exact illness as well. Actually as I type this I am laughing because most people probably haven't dabbled in mental health memoirs either. When was the last time you went to B&N in search of a feel-good book about depression...
The crazy thing is that I did find a feel-good book about depression/anxiety. I haven't cackled this much from a book in a long time. I'm rapidly turning e-pages and rereading quotes to poor Jeff as he tries to "get there" with me with absolutely no context.
The book is written as a straightforward story by an ordinary guy. He has a full-time job, loves Jesus, and is trying to be a good husband and father to his wife and little ones. Oh and he's riddled with the bullets of anxiety and OCD.
My counselor originally sent me the link to his book because she thought I'd relate and be comforted. She was right, as usual. I loved his humor and related to his struggles from the time he was little up until the present. This isn't a how-to book or even a beautiful story with a nice ending. It's just an honest narrative about functioning and sometimes not functioning with a rapid mind. And I related to every page.
It's life-giving to hear from someone that the what-if game does not go away. It just gets quieter as it gets managed. That you start over again every day, that you sometimes have to have prescription help, and that sometimes you won't know what to do or where to turn. And that God is somehow real and is not doing this or making you feel this way because you're a big fat sinner. Maybe, just maybe, it's because you're broken and live in world where difficulty is manufactured.
The book is called, "Compelled: A Memoir of OCD, Anxiety, Depression, Bi-Polar Disorder, and Faith...Sometimes," by Tim Blue.
Go. Read. It.
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