Do I Feel Better Yet? Questionable Attempts at Self-Care and Existing in General

If you’ve ever dared to express dissatisfaction with the state of your life, you’ve inevitably received a variety of helpful suggestions: “Have you tried meditation? Exercise? A cult? An exercise cult?” In Do I Feel Better Yet?, Madeleine Trebenski explores more than 45 so-called solutions suggested to her in the name of self-care.

A collection of stories, questionable advice, and essays on all of the things that people say will make you feel better.

In a playful and at times sardonic chronicle of the elusive promises of multistep skin-care routines, gratitude journaling, scented candles, and more, Trebenski perfectly captures what it’s like to live in a time when homemade kombucha and weighted blankets are said to single-handedly solve all our problems. These essays will make you laugh, make you feel less alone, and maybe make you feel better—even if just for a little while.

“Unlike most forms of self-care, Madeleine Trebenski’s Do I Feel Better Yet? will in fact make you feel better, by making you laugh out loud, reminding you that you are not alone, and, as long as you don’t read it in direct sunlight, improving your skin. This charming, reassuring, deeply felt book is as effective as an SSRI—a delightful read.” — Jennifer Traig, author of Act Natural and Devil in the Details

“I’ve tried essentially every behavior Madeleine Trebenski satirizes, and none made me feel as good as laughing out loud at this book.” — Ginny Hogan, author of I’m More Dateable than a Plate of Refried Beans and Toxic Femininity in the Workplace

“Do I feel better yet? After reading this clever and refreshing look at the often maddening world of self-help, I do.” — Giulia Rozzi, host of Should I Get Bangs?

For readers of: Lindy West, Samantha Irby, Blythe Robertson, and Mindy Kaling.

Just the right tone.

The author will have readers laughing/crying at themselves when they self-identify with pieces on the perfect cold-brew recipe, or 36 hours wasted contemplating whether to add a shower oil to their bathing ritual.

Self-help and psychological humour.

People who love Zen as F*ck, Adulting, and Self Care: A Novel will enjoy this unique take on self-help.

The perfect book for:

• Fans of the author’s viral McSweeney’s and New Yorker pieces
• Beachgoers looking for a collection of humorous essays
• People who listen to Girls Gotta Eat and Elizabeth Banks’s My Body, My Podcast

• Pages: 248
• Size: 5.5 x 8.25