The Anxiety Diaries
by Dana Muwwakkil
Publish Date October 6, 2020
About The Anxiety Diaries
What will everybody think?
When I started this experiment at the beginning of 2019, to write every day, I simply thought I would be recording the mundane life of a mother, wife and struggling writer.
And yes, I considered the fact my family and friends and anybody else that reads this diary -my diary- would have access to my most intimate fears, hopes, thoughts, maybe even an embarrassing moment or two.
But who could have predicted that I would be providing a detailed account into my struggle with my mental health?
I had no idea that the anxiety that only ever played a minor role in my life would make its debut as the starring antagonist. Or that the obsessive thoughts and irrational fears that were always real to me would be given new life on the pages of my diary.
2019 turned out to be the worst year of my life and I can’t believe that I’m sharing this devastating journey with the world.
I came close to giving up, I made a near-fatal mistake and I spent too many moments terrified of my own thoughts.
But as nightmarish as that ordeal was, allowing readers to have a piece of my soul is even more frightening.
Publishing this book may be the bravest thing I’ve ever done.
This is my story.
My thoughts
What do I say about a memoir? Most of you guys know exactly how I feel about this. Telling your story, bearing your soul, how does anyone critique that? It’s not easy. Well, as a fellow anxiety & depression sufferer, armed with my Prozac and Xanax, I am about to give it a try and tell you about THE ANXIETY DIARIES by Dana Muwwakkil.
Where to start? This book, this book is all of us. Every day, moment to moment, what goes on inside our heads, how we are so critical of ourselves, our fears and stressors, our anguish and contentment, all of it, YOU, ME, FRIENDS, FAMILY, STRANGERS, look around you, its US.
Dana decided to write a diary, every day during the year 2019, recording her feelings and experiences, never knowing that in the end she would end up telling us about her intimate battle with her mental health. The book reads as exactly that….a diary, something any one of us would write, except Dana wasn’t afraid to put in words some of the things that the rest of us would be too afraid to reveal. It’s a simple, quick read, but its impact is beyond powerful. Dana has given us a lifeline, through her own struggles, letting us all know that we are not alone, that we share some of the same anxieties every day. Some of us struggle with more, some with less, but nevertheless, we are all struggling and with her divulgence in her writing we realize we are not isolated.
You know that old saying “misery loves company?” This is kinda like that. You realize by reading it that you have tons of ‘company’ experiencing their own personal ‘misery.’ There were so many times while reading this that I just wanted to pick up the phone and call Dana and tell her OMG, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! I wanted to compare coping mechanisms. I wanted to give her a big hug. I wanted to let her know she is not the only one. But alas, I don’t have her number. I don’t know Dana personally, but I KNOW Dana. I know the self doubt, the anxiety attacks, the striving to be liked by everyone. And I know that each and every one of us really need to read this book. I am so honored to have been able to read it, and it reminded me that I am not by myself. Bravo Dana.
5 Stars, Highly recommend. I can not wait to see if Dana gives us a Volume 2.
I just would like to thank Dana Muwwakkil and Suzanne Leopold of Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy of this book for my unbiased and honest opinion for review.
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About the Author
Dana Muwwakkil is a proud black scribe, poet, and mother of four. She enjoys dark chocolate, and coffee while she writes about mental health, motherhood, and the awkward situations she seems to find herself in. The Anxiety Diaries is her first book.
You can find out more about Dana by heading to her website: theanxietydiaries.com
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