The Fangirl Life: A Guide to All the Feels and Learning How to Deal - Softcover

In this witty and sympathetic debut, therapist Smith--a self-proclaimed fangirl and proprietor of the blog Fangirl Therapy--offers wise advice on being a devout but well-rounded fan and even turning obsession into inspiration for one's own life. Using helpful exercises, Smith seeks to empower fellow fangirls to become women who will stand firmly behind their thoughts and actions, deal constructively with conflict, and use the books and people they admire to create their life stories. A particularly inspired tactic is reframing mistakes and missteps as "plot development." Smith points out that avid writers of fan fiction can channel that creativity into a full-time job writing original fiction. She also turns normally intimidating therapy-speak on its head in a chapter entitled "All the Feels," describing such made-up diagnoses as obsessive imagination disorder and preseason anxiety disorder. While the adolescent tone can occasionally be a bit cloying, the author pulls it off by weaving in snippets of her own most embarrassing--and transforming--fangirl moments.
---Publishers Weekly

You'd probably know a "fangirl" when you see one, but the majority stay relatively closeted due to the stigma of being obsessed with fictional characters. However, these obsessions are sometimes the fangirl's solutions for managing stress, anxiety, and even low self-esteem. Fangirling is often branded as behavior young women should outgrow and replace with more adult concerns. Written by a proud fangirl,The Fangirl Life is a witty testament to the belief that honoring your imagination can be congruous with good mental health, and it's a guide to teach fangirls how to put their passion to use in their own lives.

The Fangirl Life encourages you to use an obsession not as a distraction from the anxieties of life, but rather as a test lab for your own life story: 

How can a character girl crush be useful instead of a waste of time?  
How can writing fan fiction be a launching point for greater endeavors?
How do you avoid the myths that fictional romance perpetuates? 

By showing you how to translate obsession into personal accomplishment while affirming the quirky, endearing qualities of your fangirl nature,The Fangirl Life will help you become your own ultimate fangirl.