Andrea Petersen

On Edge is a story about Andrea's journey dealing with anxiety and panic disorder, as well as an informative guide for those suffering from similar ailments or just curious people.

I found this book very informative and helpful, as a long time social anxiety sufferer. I'm still learning how to cope with it and this book has given me hope that I can find a balance and learn to live my life the way I want to live it. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone with an anxiety disorder or if you know someone with one.… (altro)

"If you met me, you probably wouldn't even notice my anxiety. When I began telling acquaintances the topic of this book, they almost uniformly said, 'I would never have guess you're anxious.'"

This may be one of the first book reviews I've written, mainly because I am very interested and passionate about this topic. One in three Americans will have an anxiety disorder at some point during their lives. There is currently no "cure."

Although I didn't find myself relating to the specific type of anxiety the author has, I did notice a few similarities that stood out to me. Mental illness is extremely misunderstood in our society and for someone who lives with it everyday, it's nice to see an author explain it in a way that more people may understand.

The quote I started this review with made me think of a conversation I recently had with someone. After explaining anxiety and how to cope with it every single day, they responded with, "Can't you just stop being anxious? Like it's not a real illness, it's just all in your head."

Yes actually, it is all in my head. It's a chemical imbalance that I did not choose to have. It's an illness that I would not wish on my worst enemy. It's something that I have tried to "fix" everyday. This book gave me reassurance that there are other people out there like me and there is hope.

… (altro)

I have never heard of Andrea Petersen and I still didn’t go look for her other works even after reading this. What caught my attention about this book was that it was written by a person with actual anxiety. We live in a time where if something causes anyone severe stress, all of a sudden one can self-diagnose with anxiety problems. Petersen unraveled what it means to have a severe case of anxiety. She breaks down her history from childhood to young adulthood and how she currently faces that obstacle.

While it is not fair to say that everyone has to have an official anxiety diagnosis in order to claim to have anxiety problems (for not everyone can afford to seek medical treatment), it’s also not fair to make everyone bend over backwards because you can’t handle your anxiety problems. Anxiety can and is a debilitating mental illness but it’s also not the end of the world. Petersen is not painting herself as a spokesperson of anxiety but through her words and her actions she shows others that it is possible to have a grasp on the illness and how to manage it. Because in the end, it’s not always possible to “overcome” anxiety like some people think.… (altro)