Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety [Hardcover]

I told hubby he didn't have to read it, as he's lived with (a lesser version of) it for over 20 years. If you have any kind of ANXIETY, the kind that makes you feel on the outside of normal, you might enjoy this book. That is, if you feel it is psychologically healthy for you to do so at this time. You may or may not be as bad, the same as, or worse than the examples given by the Jewish boy-teen-man, but the anxiety is presented in such a way that it's almost a character. It's lighthearted, but still honest.

The part about those *things* that pop up in our heads and yell at us before we even realize it and the physical response comes so quickly we think that's what comes first, ...true. How all-encompassing anxiety can be? Yes. Who he decides to call and have a fit when he was in college? Not so much *me*, but it still made me chuckle.

But here's my favourite part, especially after growing up Catholic, but more recently spending time in Dharma classes and learning meditation, keeping Buddha statues around the house and occasionally wearing Mala Beads...

“Buddhism was made for the anxious like Christianity for the downtrodden or AA for the addicted.”

LMAO! The term Monkey Mind (or Monkey Brain) does come from Buddhism, to have an overactive/stressed mind and having to wait for the Monkey to calm down. I would suggest this book to those with anxiety, and those living with them.

I had to finish this book quickly, because when my boys saw the cover they thought it was a book about Toy Story 3 and wanted to make the book one of their play-toys!

Although I cannot speak for people who suffer from anxiety I found this book to be a real eye opener and educational about what it is like to live with anxiety. If that peaks your interest this is a great read.

This is a very intimate look into this mans life. Although his memories and experiences are personal, I imagine the physical and often debilitating effects of anxiety he is able to articulate are widespread. Laced with humour, smiths words keep you captivated and on your toes. He writes beautifully.

I suppose I should preface this review with the fact that I don't suffer from anxiety. At least, not clinical anxiety (everyone worries now and again). But much like I enjoyed reading Temple Grandin's books to learn about what it was like to be autistic, I was curious to read what it was like to be deeply, clinically, seriously anxious. It's not pleasant. It's overwhelming. And it's all maintained by one's own mind. Like a prisoner in their own body/mind, the sufferer of severe anxiety knows that what's happening isn't rational, it's not what they want, but they are helpless to control it.

Daniel Smith lays out his life story, making this a mid-life autobiography. It begins with his family life, where he had a mother who was anxious (a father who was also fairly far along that path). Combining this with a near-fatal experience as a child and then a potentially statutory rape by two women as his first sexual experience, and Daniel developed serious, full-blown anxiety. Anxiety is typically characterized as fear in the absence of immediate danger. In other words, worrying about danger that may or may not reasonably happen. In the case of clinical anxiety, this worry interferes with the ability to simply live a normal life. Add to that panic attacks, when one literally feels so much panic that their sanity seems to slip away, and you have a very unpleasant picture. Smith's life from then on becomes a battle with the disorder. I won't ruin the story by giving away the details, other than to say it's an up and down ride.

Smith is a good writer who makes the prose flow easily despite the awkward and often unpleasant nature of the story. He's also very honest (or at least comes across as honest) as he bares his most painful and humiliating experiences. He's got a good sense of humor and uses it to lighten up the text in the right places. I don't want to minimize his suffering, but it does make for entertaining reading when combined with his humor. Kind of like watching a car crash and hoping everyone will be all right. I should also note that although he discusses good and bad attempts at relieving his anxiety, this is not a book about how to cure anxiety. Instead, I think it's more of a look into the mind of someone who's anxious. For anyone suffering from anxiety, I would hope that it offers the chance to read, commiserate, and take solace in not being the only one to suffer from deep anxiety. For anyone else, it offers the chance to more deeply appreciate the true suffering and burden that people with deep anxiety face. Both of these offerings are very worthwhile. Mental health has traditionally been viewed as something that you can just suck it up. Smith's book makes it clear that isn't always the case, and instead lays out a story that hopefully opens up a more compassionate and informed response to those who suffer from their own minds. Smith never asks the reader for sympathy or compassion or respect. Rather, he evokes it, or at least he did from me. I would congratulate him for taking steps to not only challenge his anxiety but for writing a book about it to try and help or inform other people about anxiety. Which is a laudable goal that, along with a very good story, makes this book very easy to recommend.