"Lisa Jakub's "voice" is pitch-perfect; she is empathetic, informed, and her used of humor is adept and deft."
- Verified Amazon review
"This book is a game changer for me. Beautifully written and deeply personal; this book made me feel less alone with my struggles."
- Verified Amazon review
“A gorgeously written and engaging discussion of what it means to heal in community.”
- Verified Amazon review
“This book is life changing.”
- Verified Amazon review
Oderer a signed/ personalized copy!
Lisa Jakub has always been a little weird.
Sensitive. Emotional. Introverted.
What else would you expect from a former child actor turned writer?
But the issue wasn’t just an artistic temperament; Lisa was constantly trying to hide her debilitating anxiety and depression. She assumed that retiring from her eighteen-year acting career and leaving Hollywood was going to be the cure for all of her issues. Guess how that worked out?
Lisa was still having three panic attacks a day and found it hard to leave her house. But when anxiety-induced vomiting claimed the life of her iPod—she knew it was time to get help. It was time to talk about the things that are hard to talk about.
She started to embrace her weird.
In searching for a deeper understanding of mental wellness, Lisa explored her own history and reached out to others to learn how anxiety and depression impacted their lives. She interviewed Veterans with PTSD and ten-year-olds with sensory integration issues, people with eating disorders and cutting habits, those whose lives were saved by medication and those who found yoga to be the answer. She went to Colorado to learn about the effects of cannabis on anxiety, and attended a meditation retreat in North Carolina to sit quietly for hours and hours and hours in “noble silence.” Without a phone.
Not Just Me is a hopeful, entertaining, enlightening look at the root causes of anxiety, the latest research on mood disorders, and ideas for how we can all live authentically with more peace, power, and purpose. Part memoir, part journalistic exploration—this book reminds all of us that we are not alone.
Reviews
“Lisa Jakub has an exceptionally accessible, honest voice and a wry sense of humor–a great antidote to difficult terrain.”
– Claudia Kalb, New York Times bestselling author of Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History’s Great Personalities.
“This is the best practical guide to living with anxiety that I have read. It’s not only bursting with strategies to make life better, Jakub’s cheerful irreverence offers a model for thinking about and living with anxiety. If you suffer from anxiety or love someone who does, read it. This book will change lives.”
– Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia
Poignant, accessible, helpful, hilarious (often snort-out-loud hilarious), and 100% relevent to the problems that people sturggle with every day."
-Dr. Lisa B. Nelson, Director of Medical Education at Kripalu
Resources from Not Just Me
Example of a sun salutation : click the link for detailed description
Sun Salutation A – images and descriptions for simple yoga sequence you can try at home.
Or, if you prefer to use a video, I have a 20-Minute Beginner-Friendly Yoga Class on YouTube.
Dear Doctor – a letter you can fill out and take to your health professional, to help start the conversation about anxiety and/or depression
Insight Timer For my guided meditations - just search for Lisa Jakub on the app or listen online
Facebook Live Q&A on mindfulness
My to do list– a good reminder for me…
More resources
People that can help:
Expedition Balance – adventure healing for warriors. A not-for-profit committed to helping combat veterans who return home with emotional trauma regain their lives.
Cecily Armstrong – nutrition and transformation counseling, in person or online/by phone
Other books on anxiety/depression that I love:
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne
10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Anything by Brené Brown, specifically The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are and Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
Anything by Sharon Salzberg, specifically Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
Anything by Jon Kabat-Zinn, specifically Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Anything by Pema Chödrön, specifically When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams
Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous & Independent Children by R. Reid Wilson
Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety by Robert Duff PHD
The Mood Cure – Julia Ross
Online
Crisis Text Line — www.crisistextline.org or text HOME to 741741
Anxiety and Depression Association of America — www.adaa.org
Project UROK — www.ProjectUROK.org
Patients Like Me — www.patientslikeme.com
National Alliance on Mental Illness — Nami.org
Psychology Today (finding a therapist) — https://therapists.psychologytoday.com
Guided meditation apps:
Insight Timer (I have guided meditations on here - just search for Lisa Jakub on the app or listen online!)