An Honest and Homegrown Guide to Navigating Anxiety: ‘So You’re Anxious as Fuck’

So You’re Anxious as Fuck (Second Edition)
Perzine, Sonali Menezes, 32 pgs, IG: @glitteringmagpiee, $7

As someone who suffers from anxiety, developing healthy coping mechanisms and a self care routine is crucial to make it through the day. During my search for mental health resources, I have found that they often feel too clinical and impersonal for my needs. What I find so incredibly refreshing about the second edition of So You’re Anxious as Fuck by Zine Awards Litzine Winner Sonali Menezes is how honest and homegrown it is in it’s approach to creating a guide to navigating anxiety. Menezes’ advice is as reassuring as it is serious, “You are complex and full of contradictions. You can love life [and] also think about suicide. Thoughts of suicide do not make you a bad person.”

So You’re Anxious as Fuck is aware that not all of the tips it provides are going to work for everyone. In fact, it encourages and celebrates customization of its tactics in order to better tackle individual anxieties. Menezes brings a personal touch to an impressively broad range of important topics, such as combatting anxiety-induced nausea, breathing routines to help with panic attacks, and medication (and the stigma surrounding it). These large blocks of text are written in a seemingly effortless style and are detailed without overstaying their welcome.

So You’re Anxious as Fuck visually alludes to the spirit of vintage cut and paste zines, with visible tape marks, cut out text boxes, and handwritten advice with the occasional scribbled out mistake. On top of this, a number of collages are peppered throughout the zine to break up the large sections of text information. The honesty of the written content and the DIY visuals contribute greatly to the feeling that this guide came straight from Menezes’ heart and personal experiences.

Want a peek inside the zine? Check out excerpts of ‘So You’re Anxious As Fuck’ here.