Sarah’s books are always hilarious! As someone who suffers from anxiety on almost a daily basis, it was refreshing to read a funny book of advice for once.

Who could pass up a book with this title? I personally tell myself numerous times a day that I need to calm the f*ck down! So it sounded perfect since I worry over everything and anything.

I loved the quirky writing. She gives plenty of ideas and some that I have definitely already tried since reading the book. Her sense of humor gives a whole new meaning on how to calm the f*ck down. It wasn't boring reading but there were times I just kind of skimmed over something that didn't interest me.

This was my first book by the author so I can't compare it to her previous books. But I would like to try another one.

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

Practical advice to fight anxiety, wrapped up in humor and sarcasm

This is the first of the No-F*cks-Given Guides I’ve read and I loved it. Author Sarah Knight is very blunt (sometimes to the point of it seeming forced or insincere), and gives realistic scenarios. I found her advice common-sense and practical - I tested some of it myself when I felt anxious today. She shows a great sense of humor and uses generous amounts of sarcasm. And read the footnotes; they’re great. Importantly, she is clear that she is not a healthcare professional and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking out the help of a professional. She also never pill-shames as she realizes that for many people, this is necessary. I recommend this book for anyone who is frequently anxious.

Are you looking for the pep-talk of the ages? Well then Calm the F*ck Down by Sarah Knight will give you just that!

This no nonsense look at control, worrying and dealing with stress will floor you. I LOVED the author’s comical and mirth-filled prose, I mean, the title itself gives it away right. The author explains what she refers to as “The Four Faces of Freaking Out” as well as the “flipside” of these four faces. This book is a practical guide that will help you accept things under your control (or lack thereof) as well as put you on the path to “productive, helpful, and effective worrying.” And it’s hilarious to boot! Great read.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
The no-f*cks-given guide to taming anxiety and taking back control of your life, from the bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck and Get Your Sh*t Together

Do you spend more time worrying about problems than solving them? Do you let unexpected difficulties ruin your day and do "what ifs" keep you up at night? Sounds like you need to CALM THE F*CK DOWN.

Just because things are falling apart doesn't mean YOU can't pull it together. Whether you're stressed about sh*t that hasn't happened yet or freaked out about sh*t that already has, the NoWorries method from "anti-guru" Sarah Knight helps you curb the anxiety and overthinking that's making everything worse.

Not going to lie I totally requested this book because I loved the name! Well that and the fact that I need to calm the f down lol. I loved this book beyond words! Self help books have a tenacity to make you feel weak and alone in your struggle but not Sarah Knight! Her humor echoes through out this book and I loved it! When I was unable to physically read this book I would listen to it and let my tell you that was AMAZING! It was seriously like getting a pep talk from my BFF.
Sarah made me question why am I such a control freak and gave me tips to Calm the F down! I highly recommend this book and look forward to read more from Sarah!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book :)

If I am being honest, I chose it based on the name alone. I really had no idea what it was about and I had never heard of the other books. I know, I must have been living in a closet, right? As I myself was diagnosed with generalized anxiety a few years ago, I found this even better than I assumed it would be. I was recommending it on facebook before I was even a quarter of the way through. I LOVED this book. We all need someone like Sarah in our lives to call us on our bullshit. There are so many things in life that we freak out about and we have absolutely no way to do anything about it...so WHY are we having a panic attack about it at all? Hearing her describe the scenarios and having her question our reaction to them really puts it into perspective. Now, can I keep all of that in my head the next time things happen? No idea, but I was sure able to get some belly laughs out of this one. I would 100% recommend this book to anybody, even if they don't have anxiety.

Really positive and uplifting! Loved the message here, and it was needed through the holidays. This isn't normally my type of book or genre, but I loved how straightforward and impactful Sarah's message ended up being despite that.

I love the bluntness of this and all of Sarah Knight's books; because lets face it; it's all things we already know just don't want to acknowledge. Sarah Knight is not only making us acknowledge it but also giving us a new, obviously better way to look at it. Or maybe she just makes it seem like it's something we all should already know, like how is this not common sense?
I've always said it's a lot easier taking advice from random strangers than someone who "wants the best for you;" and that's how I feel about this in comparisons to other books written by "professionals." It's things we need to hear in a tone that we need to hear them in.

I have read a couple books by this author. She gives good advice in an unconventional manner.

The chapters include:

* So you're freaking out: acknowledge the real problem and rein in your reaction
* Calm the f*ck down: identify what you can control, accept what you can't and let that sh*t go
* Deal with it: address what you can control
* Choose your adventure: when sh*t happens, how will you calm the f*ck down and deal with it?

There are lots of examples ranging from what should/could be considered minor to extreme and suggestions on how to deal with them.

I liked the writing style. It is amusing and sarcastic. Yes, there is a lot of swearing but you figured that out by the title, right?

I love this books blunt honesty and peppering of humour along the way. From dealing with death, relationship issues and of course what would happen if France ran out of butter. When you can take a breath and really look at a situation from outside where you are things are not always that terrible. Yes sometimes they still are but there are ways to work through that too and this book helps guide you along that path without being preachy. I will read this a few more times for sure.

I really enjoyed this! I deal with anxiety and there were a lot of things in this book that I related to and found humourous. I didn’t read her other book however I really want to pick it up now. This would be a great read for someone who has a good sense of humour but would not be a pick for someone who doesn’t. I’m going to love selling this one to customers!

Self-help books start at a severe deficit in that they aren't very helpful. Yet the fact that we think there's a book out there that can cure our generalized anxiety, or help us shed those last 10 lbs for good, or make us rich, keeps the genre going (never mind that if books could save us from ourselves, this country wouldn't be the fat, nervous, broke mess that it is). But if you have to read a self-help book, you could do far less than the latest in Sarah Knight's f*ck series.

The author has a very sarcastic sense of humor I relate to. Not everyone will respond to her style, but I found this book pretty amusing. Sarah Knight admits her entire message boils down to the serenity prayer, but she delivers it in an entertaining fashion. I will say I tried to apply the principles from this book to my habit of worrying about everything, and it does work. A little. When you can remember to go through the steps in the midst of a panic. Which is almost never. And for things you have the wherewithal to be able to prioritize and deal with. Which is virtually nothing. But, hey, this book tried. B- for effort.

Anti-guru Sarah Knight creates a fun, easy to follow set of guidelines for how to trick your mind into not freaking out every time your pizza drips to the bottom of the over, or your birthday party is washed out, or your in-laws retired and moved next door, etc. She really is a fun writer and talks like the best friend you *wish* you had, giving sometimes common sense (and other times not-so-common-sense).

I have read all of this author's self-deprecating,anti-guru books. As someone who tend to have a bit of a potty mouth myself, I don't mind the curse words at all and know if I am picking up her books, they will be there. What her books also have, this one included, is actual solid advice that works. The author shares personal experiences and provides valuable insight to whichever topic the book is about. In this case, the book is about anxiety and worrying. A book so perfect for me as I am a class A, champion "What-If er" I found myself quoting this book aloud to my husband, who is also a huge worrier and discussing the strategies she lays out to help. They are insightful and helpful and we will actually be using them. I will pick up her next book for sure and definitely recommend this one to those who worry a little or a lot. Just make sure you are okay with curse words:)

I'm a fan of Sarah Knight's other works, in particular her first work The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck. The humor and good sense that made that first book shine is present in this one, but it suffers from being overly repetitive (something Knight's last several works have also struggled with). Knight is aware of her tendency to repeat (she makes several joking requests for people to not leave low star reviews for this fault), but still seems stymied by what I am assuming is a publisher-enforced minimum page count.

This book was received as an ARC from Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a huge fan of Sarah's book The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck and fell in love with her technique of letting go of anxiety so I knew what I was in for reading Calm the F*ck Down. Sarah throughout the book reminds you that every situation always has two sides and it is up to us which side to see. Myself along with a lot of our community has gone through suffering of anxiety and needed a book like this to put our thoughts into perspective. It is also easy to relate to Sarah and the approach she has taken throughout this book and it is a give that many will connect to this book.

This book will definitely have a home in our Self-Help section of the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I don’t normally read self help books, but this title just spoke to me. Because those who know me, will tell you that’s how I talk. And I definitely suffer from anxiety, so why not give it a try?

As you would expect from the title, the author’s style is very flippant. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have some good points. As she says in the Author’s Note, this is basically an extended Serenity Prayer - change what you can, accept what you can’t and be wise enough to know the difference.

Will her suggestions work? Maybe. Knight does acknowledge it will all take practice. And sometimes her answers are a little smug and cavalier. Telling someone to get some sleep and deal with the problem tomorrow is great, but doesn’t really work if anxiety has made you into a hard core insomniac. Think I haven’t already tried deep breathing, meditation, etc.?

But I can guarantee that you will chuckle frequently while reading this book.

FYI, Ms. Knight has strong opinions about the current president. Fair warning if you happen to be a fan of his. I am not. As someone who agrees with her opinion of the “orange howler monkey”, I appreciated her passing on the tip about watching @PepitoTheCat.

My thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown for an advance copy of this book.

This book gave strategies on how to deal with anxiety. I suffer from anxiety and found several helpful suggestions. I liked the author's funny writing style. Overall I did enjoy this book.

A basic guide for managing anxiety delivered in a pithy, tongue-in-cheek writing style. Calm the F*ck Down outlines a common sense approach to dealing with everyday anxieties using problem solving strategies that examine and reframe your worries so that you can either deal with them or let them go. The "Question to Rule them All" was an especially helpful portion of the book, easy to understand and easy for readers to start using right away. Much of the book's content is dedicated to hypothetical anxiety-inducing situations to help clarify her various strategies but the accompanying, heavy use of irony was distracting and hard to get through. Nonetheless, Sarah Knights fans who have come to love and expect her sense of humor will enjoy the fourth book in her No F*cks Given Guides.