I've been on kind of a self help book kick lately, not only because my anxiety has flared up extremely badly but because I just think they're interesting, and any way I can improve my mind or life and way of thinking is worth a shot, right? And this book was no exception. Mostly focusing on women and girls who have problems with control, bottling their feelings, and even setting boundaries, I thought that this was a very important and thought provoking book that encourages you to really think about why you're doing these things, and to journal them.

I have never read anything from author Andrea Owen before, but I thought that her take and opinions on these topics were very well said, and she has a ton of great advice packed into this book, not only referencing other books from authors other than herself that she's elaborated on, but also asking deep and really important questions to help you work through these problems on your own. Mostly because she knows that opening up, not being perfect, and not being strong at all times is difficult to share with other people. Not that those things are only for women to face, but this book specifically targets them to help them out. 

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, and even ended up doing some of the lists she recommends journaling about. They really helped me realize how bad my inner critic is, somehow listening to it all day isn't really enough to show me how bad it really is, I had to see it all written down on paper with the parts that were particularly bad pinned out in front of me. It's a start, and it's something to work on, and I think that's exactly what this book is for. I definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance! And if you're not in the desired demographic for this book, I'm sure you can still take a ton of this content and work with it, just remember that most of the talk in it is pointed towards people with she/her pronouns. But it doesn't make any of the advice invalid!

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Loved reading this.  I'll gladly share with other adults.  This is something many people need to read.

I found this book very relatable. I knew that a lot of these habits would speak to me before I even picked it up. I'm a huge fan of this genre in general, I find myself always having a self-improvement book in progress. This one is definitely one I have recommended to a few people who I immediately thought of while reading. I know it's going to be hard but I really feel like this book will help me on my journey.

I thought this book had a lot of good information, many things that had me nodding and cringing because I have witnessed these habits first-hand in myself and in those closest to me. I do think this book is unnecessarily gendered; it focuses on women and that these are all things women do when that is just not true. I definitely recommend this read, especially for anyone who is feeling “stuck” or even that you “should be happier” than you are feeling right now.

I needed this book so bad. This is a no sugar coat approach to stop feeling like sh*t. The tips in this books are doable as long as you “show up”. You have to do the work to see improvement and the author makes sure you know and understand this aspect of self improvement.  I appreciate the approach of explaining the habit and then giving the tools to change the behavior. This is a book for any woman trying to better their lives and stop the negative self talk which so many of us engage in. I’m So happy to have found this book. I’m sure I’ll referenca it often and will recommend or gift it to others.

Unlike many self help books that spin useless platitudes, this one really spoke to me. It gave concrete, doable ideas that seemed to be written just for me. As I read it, I found myself saying, over and over, "I do that" and " I thought I was the only one who felt that way." 

Ms. Owen must be a wonderful life coach, because her book was fantastic.

This book was worth reading entirely for a quote that I highlighted:

“Life is hard. Not because we’re doing it wrong, but because life is hard.” – Glennon Doyle Melton

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve had plenty of “WTF am I doing so wrong that this is my life?” moments. I really needed this quote as a reminder that sometimes it’s nothing I did – life just throws random things at you.

To be honest, I picked this up from NetGalley because I recognized the author’s name from some podcasts and was pretty sure I liked her. (I may have read her previous book? Probably not a great sign that I’m not sure?) This is one of those books that I had to read slowly because I needed time to digest it.

I liked that this was a bit of a different format than the usual “self improvement” genre book. Each chapter focuses on a fairly common thing that people tend to do without realizing how destructive it is. From isolating yourself during tough times to imposter syndrome to people pleasing, you’re likely to see yourself in some, if not most, of the chapters.

This book was pretty good. It is geared as a self help outlines exercises that readers can complete. These are meant to increase awareness of bad habits and expose the reasoning behind them. The activities are meant to strengthen. I think the emphasis on reflecting and locating the causes behind our behaviors is important.

The most incredible self help book ever.  Just do it or don’t do it but have the power to take it on and makes move. Very, informative and truly committed to help you be the best you. Find yourself and live for yourself.  Putting you first.

A straightforward “self help” book on How to stop feeling like Sh*t!

I really appreciated this book! Actual good advice to help calm your inner critic and get your sh*t together mentally. I'm adding this to a list of self-help 158.1 books to recommend to library patrons looking for self-improvement and introspection.

How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t by Andrea Owen is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-January.

Like a loyal best friend, the narration comes off as sardonic and self-depreciating, but really intends to help you settle the chaos on the inside and out. The author is coming from her own story of fall-before-the-rise to help others recognise common habits and pitfalls, to create a better life that skirts the things that bring us down, taking care of yourself while taking care of others, addressing well and ill-meaning critique, speaking and listening frankly to others, taking stock of materials/vices/habits that provide temporary comfort, and to set realistic goals with fortified intent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrea Owen for allowing me to read and review How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t. I really enjoyed this book! Must read! 5/5

I chose this book because the title appealed. I was hoping it would be a no-nonsense read, and it was.  I found it to be written quite conversationally, and it was an easy and fairly fast read. The book centers on self-destructive behaviors, their cause and cure. I got a lot of good ideas and insights from reading Ms. Owen's book. If this plain hard truth style, reflected in her writing, is what I will find on her podcast, I might just find myself subscribing.

This book is on point! The advice presented is very well written and it really points out things that we may be doing and not realize it. I like the author's style. All women would benefit from this book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t should be given to women as they enter into high school. That being said, it was still nice, as an almost 40 year old woman, to be reminded to these bad habits and how to break them. 

Andrea Owen not only provides examples of common bad habits, but solutions on how to fix them. The tone is very straightforward and no bullshit. It's honest, it's frank, it's what is needed to be said.

Thanks to NetGalley, Andrea Owen and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t: 14 Habits That Are Holding You Back from Happiness could replace a few self-help duds on my shelf. I admit I'm a sucker for this genre and have read a lot of these. No apologies. But, really, once you have the basic "secrets for a good life" down, there's not much new to learn. In my opinion, there's no magic-bullet solution to supreme happiness, wealth and power.

Having said that, I appreciated the author's straight-talkin' style. Andrea Owen is relatable and clear about her subject. That in itself made me feel less alone in my dysfunction. In fact, she describes these 14 bad habits so clearly, they almost seem too obvious. I think she did an excellent job pinpointing the right culprits and offering useful solutions. No "standing on your head at exactly 5:36 a.m. for 8 1/2 minutes" b.s. solutions--just real honest stuff.

I can see this book becoming a helpful reference when the inevitable chorus of bad habits start to get the better of me. 

Disclosure: I received this as a digital ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

When it comes to the self-help genre, it can be difficult to find books that offer more than empty promises toward a "better you." These types of books can be addictive, since reading them alone can feel like you're taking a step in a positive direction - despite the fact that you aren't necessarily doing anything. Many authors feed off of that, publishing books that present a problem and then tell readers to just "stop doing what they're doing." Life's that simple, isn't it?

What I enjoyed about How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t, it that Owen acknowledges this flaw in the self-help community and tells us that she won't offer us empty advice. Then she follows through. This book doesn't simply make readers aware of the nasty habits they've developed, but it offers plausible solutions to shaking these habits. That's something I can appreciate.

On top of the suggestions, Owen also outlines exercises that readers can complete. These are meant to increase awareness of bad habits and expose the reasoning behind them. These activities strengthen How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t, and I think the emphasis on reflecting and locating the causes behind our behaviors is important.

The only thing I found strange about this book is that most of the advice is directed solely toward women. While I do agree that women should empower women, as I'm sure Owen intends to, I just didn't find this necessary. Most of the habits in this book are things that men and women participate in, and I just didn't understand the reason to gender the advice given. Despite the fact that women may engage in certain behaviors more, due to societal conditioning, I genuinely think that everyone can benefit from this book. Let them!

I gave How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t a 3.5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed this, and I found some of the exercises and practices in here useful within the confines of my own life. I recommend this to anyone looking to better themselves, especially if you enjoy picking up a self-help book every now and again.

In this book, Owen explores 14 commonly held habits, how to identify them, how they are holding you back, and how you can start to get rid of them.

How to Stop Feeling Like Shit is a great starter kit for someone who is looking for some guidance on how to get out of an emotional rut. It's great for people who might be starting to think about what parts of their lives, minds, and behaviors might not be serving them well. 

To me, the most valuable parts of this book are the parts that teach you how to identify the habits that you may not even know you have. For example, her chapter about Imposter Syndrome actually explained it to me in a way that made me aware that I definitely have those thought patterns. In the past, I've read about it and thought that what I go through doesn't really qualify as true Imposter Syndrome, which I am now noticing is probably a sure sign that I have it! I have Imposter Syndrome about Imposter Syndrome, and I never would have thought about that or taken it seriously if it weren't for how Owen broke down the issue and explained it so clearly. 

Other chapters are similarly clear in explaining the habits in a way that will help readers identify the problems in their own minds, which I believe is a big and important  first step. You can't deal with a problem that you don't know is there. Almost every chapter left me thinking about my own mind and how the habits Owen described manifest in my own life.

That being said, I was already aware that I had many of these problems (such as a harsh inner-critic and approval seeking). Having already been aware of those problems. I found this book to be reassuring but ultimately not very helpful. It is reassuring to know that other people go through what I go through and that my problems are common. It feels reassuring to know that my brain is not unique in the ways it holds me back. However, I found the strategies that Owen provides to kind of basic. A lot of the advice amounts to "stop doing that and journal about why you did it in the first place" which is not wrong advice but is not the most helpful.

These behaviors are habits and are therefore very difficult to alter. Even if you journal about it. Even if you make lists and ask yourself hard questions and observe your own behavior, these habits are still hard to get rid of. Ultimately, I think the strength in this book and the part of this book that helped me the most was knowing that my experience is not singular or unique, knowing that others are going through it as well, not so much the parts of the book that attempt to give practical advice. 

I would say that if you are just awakening to your issues and beginning to try to change your habits, this book might be incredibly useful and a fantastic first step. However, if you have read books like this before or seen a therapist or spent an embarrassing amount of time in the self-love section of Pinterest, then this book might not have a lot of new information for you.

I wanted to read this book because I really like Andrea's podcast. There is a lot in the book that is good, and I think Andrea is so wonderful and compassionate here, but this didn't really grab me and I don't think the contents will stick with me the way some books have. I think part of it was that there were so many different topics, and I may just prefer a deep dive within one book or something that really gives me a new perspective on an issue. There's plenty of great advice in here, it just wasn't one of those books that spoke to my soul.