Smart Worry

". . . a genuinely comforting, useful read for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the state of things."

-Mansoor Ahmed for Readers' Favorite

"Thoughtful and packed with useful ideas, readers looking for a healthier relationship with worry will get a lot from this book. Very highly recommended."

-Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

"For anyone worn down by clinical anxiety books that keep readers "at arm's length," or anyone who wants proof that others have found their way out of the same spiral, Smart Worry offers real company and a nudge toward doing something about it."

-Karen Tolentino for Readers' Favorite

What if worry isn't a weakness to overcome, but a signal to act?

We all worry. About our children. Our health. Money. Relationships. The state of the world. What might happen tomorrow--and what already happened yesterday. But worry isn't evidence that something is wrong with us. Rather, it's often evidence that something matters to us. And while worry can leave us frightened, overwhelmed, and stuck, it can also point us toward the question at the heart of this book: What can I do?

In Smart Worry, award-winning documentary producer and lifelong worrier Ann E. Feldman sets out to discover how people around the world face their fears and turn anxiety into action. Drawing on candid conversations with 100 "Worry Heroes"--from therapists, physicians, activists, spiritual leaders, and educators to artists, parents, survivors, and ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances--she explores the worries that follow us through every stage of life and the practical, sometimes surprising ways people meet them.

Their stories span childhood trauma, health, relationships, identity, environmental issues, disaster, faith, loss, humor, and more. What connects them is not fearlessness. It's the willingness to do something.

Along the way, Feldman distills their hard-earned wisdom into 101 concrete actions readers can try themselves-small and large ways to interrupt a worry spiral, regain a sense of agency and perspective, help someone else, and move forward even when uncertainty remains.

Warm, candid, deeply researched, and filled with unforgettable stories, Smart Worry offers a hopeful alternative to trying to banish anxiety altogether. 

You don't have to stop worrying to live well.

You just have to learn how to worry smart.