Praise for Taming Crazy - Confessions and Lessons
I will cherish this book!
I am truly grateful that I stumbled across this book. I have never read a book that I could personally relate to as much as I did Taming Crazy: Confessions and Lessons. I know exactly what it feels like to be depressed, anxious/ have anxiety. It is not an easy subject for me to talk about nor do the people in my life seem to want to hear about it anyways. So, with that being said it was actually uplifting for me to read a book that I was not only able to relate to but also learn from/ get advice. Taming Crazy reminded me that I am not alone in the way that I feel inside. I am not the only person battling depression and anxiety. Even though it feels that way at times, I know it’s not..
I appreciate the author, Alicya Perreault for writing this book and sharing her story. Regardless of how bad she felt inside, how depressed she really was, she still continued to keep going. She never gave up and that is what I admired and respected about her the most. Her strength... It takes a very strong individual to heal themselves from depression, but it’s possible and that gives me hope! If Alicya can do it, so can I. That’s the mentality I have now after reading her story. I highly recommend it to anyone who has OR is currently battling with depression and anxiety. This book was well worth the read and I hope it helps other people the same way it helped me.
~ Melissa M.
My hat is off to the author with eternal gratitude!
I felt as though this book found me; instead of, the other way around. If only I could reach out and hug Alicya Perreault for writing her story. It is as though her words open my brain to a whole possibility. She has written her experiences with such authentic humor. While doing so, she has described my inner life since I was three years old (well, the little I remember at 3). Taming Crazy Confessions and Lessons is a book I will carry with me for years to come. Alicya writes about her anxiety and obsessions with such honesty and dark I felt like crying and running somewhere in the same breath. To all of you who have or do suffer from crippling anxiety, obsessive tendencies, and those frightening, violent thoughts (yes, I am one of those and thought I was the only one), please read this book, over and over. Any of you who want to understand the ones you love who behave in these ways, read Taming Crazy. If there were 10 stars available to express my love for this book, I would aggressively press the 10th star!
Excellent book! My hat is off to the author with eternal gratitude. She may have saved my own sanity.
~Johni Brand Wigal
Insightful and candid look at living with anxiety and depression and the search for solutions
Wow! This book was a phenomenal narrative about living with the mental health challenges of anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This book offers the reader one woman’s perspective on life with these mental health issues and it’s enlightening and emotional yet also funny and relatable.
The author opens her soul to the reader and it feels like she puts words to feelings that so many people deal with. Personally, having dealt with anxiety and depression myself, I felt she did an excellent job relating to these experiences. She is determined to find a way to stop anxiety and depression from ruling her life. She tries a plethora of suggested treatments. I love how she fought forward through her pain and exhaustion as a way of reaching for the person she used to be, for her former adventurous, fun-loving self. This drove her to women’s retreats, google and meditation classes. She finds her way along the course of mindfulness and self-awareness. She discusses breaking down her inner narratives. I love how she takes on these challenges so consciously! Through her journey the reader can take heed of her missteps and successes and use this information to drive his/her own process. I found so much helpful advice in this book but I also felt such a connection with the author. She related things in a way that made so much sense to me and put words to some of my own struggles. If you suffer from anxiety or depression or know someone who does or if you just want some insight in to these mental health struggles you will find this book highly useful.
~ Molly S.
A True Winner!
Taming Crazy: Confessions and Lessons: A true Story for The Worried, The Fearful, and The Anxious by Alicya Perreault is a true winner! In this book the author is able to paint a vivid picture of anxiety and the way it takes hold of ones life. She tells the story, though, in a way that is witty and at times almost lighthearted. The reader finds himself slowly but surely beginning to understand the debilitating emotional and mental exhaustion which comes along with mental illness. As the author tries to survive the attacks of her own horrendous thoughts, she captures our attention. In her own descriptive style she illustrates not only the downward spiral, but the fight to win her condition over and to be normal everyday. The author speaks of Thoughts leading one to dark places and the reader is compelled to follow. With enlightening and entertaining use of internal dialogue, the author demonstrates her journey from introversion, to overthinking ,to dismal despair. In fact, she says of her condition, “It was my dirty little secret and I guarded it closely.” As a reader I could get as close to the feeling of being drained, and feeling out of control as possible. As if I was experiencing it myself, it was interesting to see the gradual mental descent leading to “not ever leaving the house.” The book does an excellent job of showing how depression makes life complicated but also shows strategies for survival like reaching out. She takes us through her process of fixing herself, a search for truth in her thoughts, emotions, and actions. Scoffing at therapists, medication, and meditation, the author decides that she must find her own way; and she does. The think alouds she creates engages the reader in her every thought as she describes her fight to claim her sanity. Finally acknowledging all of her feelings, even her pain, the author breaks it all down to the lowest common denominators and carries the reader through a roller coaster ride to self awareness.
~Amazon Customer
Becoming More Mindful
Taming Crazy by Alicya Perreault is a great self-help/awareness book written with a hilarious voice. Through personal anecdotes, research, and self-reflection, Alycia describes her own battle with anxiety and depression and breaks down how she found help in taming her own crazy. Raw and relatable, her stories explain why we feel negative emotions and their root cause, sharing her own techniques and strategies for becoming more mindful. Be prepared to laugh, grimace, and nod your head in understanding, as this book is sure to resonate with most people.
The book is broken into unique chapters with insightful revelations woven into true stories. It is well-written and even offers a compressed chapter at the end that re-emphasis the lessons and techniques that were previously mentioned. Whether you suffer with anxiety or not, this book offers an easy look into how all of us are capable of snowballing into disaster, but more importantly, it explains how to see it from a healthy perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a deeper look into their subconscious and how to better control emotions. Or, if you’re like me and want to learn more about how people think and the reason behind their actions, this has got you covered. If anything, read this for a new perspective. One that’s not easily and openly talked about. The world could always use more compassion and understanding.
~Amazon Customer
Not alone and not having to hide.
As someone who suffers from mental health issues, I am bipolar type 2 with anxiety and learned borderline behaviors I also have a family chocked full of mental illness, this book is like a lifeline. Alicya Perreault's honest and descriptive self assessment through out reminds me that I am not alone in all of this. Despite what my brain tries to tell me at times or when it just fixates on a single word I am really not the only one, others are going through these things everyday though their individual experience is different.
Taming Crazy: Lessons and Confessions is aptly named because that is what dealing and managing mental health is there is no quick fix it is an ingoing daily conscious effort. One of the most impactful lessons I learned was that it is not about making confessions to others that matters the most but actually making confessions to yourself. Realising the things you are hiding from yourself with your mental illness, how you have developed weird awkward coping mechanisms to protect yourself from yourself.
The moment that truly grabbed my attention was the second paragraph of chapter seven. Ideation has been an ongoing issue since my teens and thankfully I have a psychologist who recognizes the difference between ideation and intention. I have never experienced intention of action. But ideation within intrusive thoughts. I have experienced that exact situation as described. But now I have the relief of it is something I can talk about I do not have to bury it just because it is not sane.
I cannot recommend this book enough. More open and honest discussion needs to happen so we can improve lives.
~Rachel Strauss
Yep...this is a good one.
Light, funny, realistic and relatable. I had to keep reminding myself that this was not a work of fiction. I started with doubts, thinking, here I am, reading yet another book about anxiety. The medical terminology that always makes me want to put the book down, because I end up having to research and look up what in the world the author is talking about, never occurred. Beautiful! Instead, I read a woman’s account of her own life experiences, how her thoughts morphed into anxiety and how SHE dealt with her anxiety. I found myself laughing and often times nodding my head in agreement as I could relate to so many of the things that caused her anxiety. For me this book was a breath of fresh air because it was so realistic. The book was broken into several chapters and each had funny relatable moments that made me want to read on. The author displayed in details how her anxiety affected her life and those around her. What was even better was how she detailed how she was able to identify Thoughts that led to her anxiety, explain how she tracked her Emotions, and then the Action(s) that she was able to see and track that she had immediately when the anxiety was occurring. When you are able to track such things, it can only help you do better the next time it occurs, well that what I felt after reading the book. In one of the last chapters, the author identifies twelve things (What I know for Sure), that help her get through her life's WTF moments (her words). ALL of the twelve things listed are doable. All of them. So this list brings hope.
What I liked about the book was its real, realness. I could relate to the author and looked forward to reading what helped her and I found it.
Feeling meter: hopeful and I’m not alone.
~ Lachelle
Taming Crazy unfolds like a conversation between old friends over coffee.
In her book, Taming Crazy: Confessions and Lessons, author Alicya Perreault shares an honest and revealing account of her struggle against depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behavior. She intimately describes times when she could not leave her house and days when she was unable to even get out of bed. The book is filled with details that draw the reader in by setting the authors recollections in reality. The writing is excellent and contains both heartfelt drama and moments of humor. Her early years tell of tender, hurtful and terrifying moments that impacted her life as an adult. She talks about coping mechanisms she built around herself, such as avoiding people and using food to mask her feelings. She made a commitment to turn her life around on her terms and started a journey toward self-awareness. She observed her physical reactions to each situation and documented what she thought, what her emotional reactions were and what actions she took. She calls the process T.E.A. By using this simple tool, along with studies in Yoga and inspiration found in books, she comes to understand her condition and discovers how to overcome it.
Ms. Perreault's unwavering honesty has produced a courageous book detailing her personal voyage. Readers will find Taming Crazy engrossing. Even though some may take a different path to healing, those who suffer from depressions, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder will identify with the story, find inspiration and draw strength from it. A list of resources is included. The book is not a chronological memoir. Taming Crazy unfolds like a conversation between old friends over coffee.
~ David Wimsett
Sane Advice to Tame Crazy!
I read this book at the perfect time, what with all the discussion and emphasis on mental health in pop culture lately. Truth be told, I am a long time struggler with anxiety and found this book instrumental on the road to recovery. Part biography, part self-help, the author tells the reader about her lifelong struggle to control the effects of social anxiety, OCD, various phobia and stress. She does a terrific job of trying to pass on to the reader the tools and techniques she used to maintain her sanity, stay calm and find inner peace. The turning point to all of the author’s advice for me was how she made me realize that my negative thoughts are impactful to my life. More importantly, she gives realistic and practical advice on how to control these negative thoughts before they spiral out of control. The author's suggestions on stopping the negative thoughts, focusing on the here & now, and realizing that my identity is not intertwined with the negative thoughts was life-changing! I cannot emphasize enough the difference this book has made to my mental health. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from anxiety and/or depression!
Five out of five stars for sure.
~ Brown Bettie
Insightfully written and fun to read!
“Taming Crazy: Confessions and Lessons” is a wonderfully written chronicle of what the author’s life is like with depression and anxiety, and her tips on dealing with with the day to day struggles of these disorders. The personal anecdotes made this book easy, interesting, and at times humorous to read - but her insights and advice are really very helpful. I have several close family members that deal with severe depression and anxiety and I found so many of the stories in this book very relatable. I also found the advice helpful for times in my own life when I may feel overwhelmed, or just need to take a pause and think about a situation before reacting. I think I, like most of us, could also benefit from the tips on self-awareness! I like how the author’s advice comes out of her own experiences, and I almost felt that I was on the journey with her as she discovered new things about herself (and others) that she was able to use and apply to herself get better. This is definitely a five star book, and a must read for anybody who has or knows someone with depression and anxiety disorders.
~ Heather Conlin
Written openly from the heart with humour and grace.
Taming Crazy is an inspirational memoir with details on Alicya's method to gain control of her life and mental health. It chronicles her life from adventurous happy childhood to reaching her breaking point. This book is important to let people know they are not alone and there's hope. Taming Crazy is written openly from the heart with humor and grace. I want to try TEA to see if it will help me with de-escalating stress in my life, it makes sense. Remembering to take that pause before acting is challenging but with enough practice it might just work. Alicya is so real and inspiring I want to share her story and methods everyone in my life who suffers from anxiety.
~ Becky
Excellent!
Alicya's honesty, humour and resilience shine through every word. She had me laughing and crying - sometimes at the same time. Highly recommended.
~Suzanne Blair
I Loved this book.
As someone who has dealt with anxiety my whole life, I loved this book. It was almost as if the author had put my thoughts into words. It was emotional at times and funny. I liked how she shared each step she took to climb out of the anxiety ' rabbit hole' too. By the time I had finished reading I felt there was hope for me and that's how I expect to feel with a self help book.
~ Susan Williams
Funny and All Too Real!
Taming Crazy is one woman’s story of battling anxiety and depression. Down to earth, warm and funny, this book doesn’t read like a self-help manual written by a therapist. It’s more like sitting across from a good friend at the kitchen table, discussing life’s struggles, uncomfortable details and all. Alicya Perreault is an amazing woman who, in spite of suffering from extreme anxiety along with depression, found her way to a freer, more joyful life. In a fit of desire to change her misery, she signed up for a meditation teacher training program, though she had never meditated before. Her story is mostly not about the meditation program, however. It’s about how she gleaned a few key ideas from the course, and began to experiment on herself. Did her thoughts really cause her emotions? Could she really change her thoughts? She came up with a simplified method for observing herself and her suffering and tried out some changes. Little by little she saw improvement, and was actually able to help others untangle a few neurotic dramas of their own. Obviously, healing from years of pain is rarely smooth or simple. After the author got a handle on her anxiety, depression reared its ugly head. Somehow, she discovered more truths and strategies to help her through the following setbacks and recoveries. She recounts these experiences without theory, no psychology, no meditation lingo, just funny and all too human anecdotes of her flawed yet improving life. Perreault has not written a 1-2-3, step-by-step therapeutic program. She acknowledges that everyone has different triggers and blind spots, and everyone has to find their own way out of the crippling grip of anxiety. But she undertook the unimaginable and frightening task of writing a book because others encouraged her, and because she hoped her insights and experience could be helpful tools for others. Whether you try out her methods or just enjoy her hilarious company, her book can indeed be a bright light on the path to a better life. Definitely worth reading!
~ Amazon Customer
