Writer Samantha Irby is known for her hilarious, candid work about life and mental illness. Here, the bestselling author of the new collection of raw essays titled Wow, No Thank You opens up about her complicated relationship with therapy.

“My dad died during my freshman year of college. It was unexpected and heartbreaking. I had a breakdown, and when I went to the hospital, they told me to see a therapist. I had zero resistance to the idea – I was 18 years old and perfectly happy to talk to anyone about myself.

I couldn’t tell you the therapist’s name anymore, but at the time all I cared about was that it wouldn’t cost me any money since she was a therapist at the university. She put me on Prozac, and, just as importantly, it felt like the first time someone seemed to understand what I was talking about.

We didn’t have any breakthroughs, but I did feel relieved. It was nice to be able to process my life with someone who wasn’t also a teen and stupid, you know? I stopped seeing her when the school year ended, but our talks helped me develop the tools I needed to get through a period of intense grief.

I’m not currently in talk therapy, but it’s probably time for me to go back. I didn’t have insurance for a long time, and then I was too busy working full-time, but those are handy excuses. The truth is that I write funny things about being anxious and depressed and I worry that I won’t be able to do that if I actively start working on my mental health, which is not a healthy thought and is probably a myth – but it’s also a real fear.

I’m a fucked-up person: I’m depressed, I have anxiety and there are things I need to work on. I know what I need to do, and I will…one day.”

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

4 More Books That Will Leave You Feeling Great:

1/4

TOGETHER by Dr. Vivek H. Murthy

Any case made by Dr. Vivek Murthy is probably worth paying attention to; after all, he was the Surgeon General of the United States appointed under President Barack Obama. In this riveting book, Murthy argues that loneliness is a sweeping public-health concern, one that’s related to everything from depression and addiction to violence, before presenting some creative fixes that we can all use to keep ourselves feeling healthier and more connected.

SHOP

BREAK YOUR GLASS SLIPPERS by Amanda Lovelace

While poetry may not be your go-to self-help material, Amanda Lovelace, author of the bestselling The Princess Saves Herself in This One, delivers another dose of her now signature uplifting verse in these short but evocative pieces that push us all to rethink how we’ve been affected by our culture.

SHOP

DO NOTHING by Celeste Headlee

Award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee dives into a potentially triggering topic for many of us in her latest research-based tome. “We are overworked and overstressed, constantly dissatisfied, and reaching for a bar that keeps rising higher and higher,” she explains at the outset of the book before diving into the way we’ve learned to squander our time while believing ourselves to be obsessed with productivity – and how we can work to reclaim our peace of mind.

SHOP

THE UPSIDE OF BEING DOWN by Jen Gotch

If you follow Jen Gotch – founder and chief creative officer of ban.do – on Instagram, then you know that she’s equal parts hilarious and honest about her struggles with mental health. In her can’t-miss memoir, she relives the years she spent growing up in Florida with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADD and shares insight into the winding career path that eventually led her to creative fulfillment.

– Kate Somerville

SHOP