Unfuck Your Brain: Getting Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers with Science

Not your average psychological self-help book, nor does it ever get there.

It's definitely (by language and intent) in-your-face confrontation of issues of mental health, and the swear words simply help codify the emotion and immediacy behind the stuff discussed.

Highly recommended if you're a veteran of battling one's own brain or wanting to understand why it's not as easy to conquer as some might wish…

Not your average psychological self-help book, nor does it ever get there.

It's definitely (by language and intent) in-your-face confrontation of issues of mental health, and the swear words simply help codify the emotion and immediacy behind the stuff discussed.

Highly recommended if you're a veteran of battling one's own brain or wanting to understand why it's not as easy to conquer as some might wish…

This is an incredibly helpful and affirming book. I listened to the audio version, and there's a lot, so I'm likely going to listen to it again. Breaks down how brain biochemistry affects our behavior and ways to work on re-wiring it, in a delightfully flippant and approachable way. Unfortunately, the audio production level is very poor -- it sounds like she's recording in a cave, but it's worth ignoring that for the good information the book imparts.

Not your average psychological self-help book, nor does it ever get there.

It's definitely (by language and intent) in-your-face confrontation of issues of mental health, and the swear words simply help codify the emotion and immediacy behind the stuff discussed.

Highly recommended if you're a veteran of battling one's own brain or wanting to understand why it's not as easy to conquer as some might wish…

This is a good beginner's book for getting into the self-improvement mindset and approach. With this book, you can understand just how our brains are wired, and how they can start to be rewired. It seemed like Dr. Harper was trying a bit too hard to be cool or edgy, using (even for me) an obscene amount of obscenities and slang to get her point across... or maybe she really acts that way. But, the overall messages were delivered well enough.

In Unfuck your Brain, Dr. Faith Harper explore the science behind the ways people feel shitty - with an eye toward anxiety, depression, anger, and grief, in particular. Much of the book is focused on strategies and approaches for feeling better. I particularly enjoyed the explanations of the science behind the emotions and the anxiety and depression people feel. I also appreciated the specific discussion of methods, strategies and schemas for feeling better. This is a great book for anyone who feels that their brain is fucked, that knows people who struggle with any of these issues, or that is interested in psychology.

**I will note that I read this as an audiobook. It was good enough and interesting enough that I'd like to reread it in show more book form, as well. I want to also note that while I enjoyed the author's reading of the book, she's engaging in manner and tone, the quality of the audiobook was pretty shitty. It was like she was just being recorded in her house on a cell phone. Not so bad that I didn't listen to the whole book or wouldn't recommend it but...yeesh. show less

In this book, the author -- a therapist -- presents some information about how the brain functions, how trauma affects it, and ways to combat getting stuck in negative thinking.

This book is one of those among the trend of having four-letter words (particularly the f- one) in the title. I didn't think much of that, other than a marketing ploy to attract attention to the cover. In this case, however, that also should have been an indicator that the author planned on dropping a number of creative curses and colloquialisms throughout the book. Presumably, this is to make the academic topic more approachable, but I sometimes felt that adding a "True dat." in between two other statements didn't really produce much of anything in me besides an show more eyeroll.

The beginning section about the parts of the brain and how they work was interesting, although a bit of a recap for me personally, having learned all that in college many years ago. I do appreciate how Harper goes on to talk about trauma being the root of many issues, while specifically pointing out that what classifies as a trauma is different for each person. Many people assume it is just big, catastrophic events like physical abuse, but she notes how for some people it might be a car accident or something that seems a little more mundane but that we know can affect people.

As for her big "getting over" tips? It's mostly what you could glean from a short article in Psychology Today or some other such source -- meditation, self-compassion, exercise, etc. Nothing particularly earth-shattering. Obviously, she also suggests talk therapy and medication for those who need it.

All in all, this was a fine enough read but don't expect to come away with anything that extraordinary. show less