This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.

Augusten Burroughs rejects traditional positive thinking and affirmations, arguing that self-improvement requires brutal honesty rather than comforting lies. He addresses specific crises including bereavement, addiction, and late-life loneliness by suggesting that people cannot wait for their feelings to change before acting. Instead of attempting to fix the past or heal deep-seated trauma through conversation, Burroughs focuses on immediate behavioral shifts. He outlines how to end a relationship, manage chronic illness, and confront physical dissatisfaction by accepting unpleasant realities without internal censorship.

Readers who find standard motivational advice ineffective or patronizing turn to this manual for its unsentimental perspective. It serves those facing acute emotional distress or stagnant life circumstances who prefer practical cynicism over optimism. By following these blunt instructions, a reader finishes the book with a strategy for moving forward while still feeling miserable. They gain a method for endurance that prioritizes functional survival and direct action over the pursuit of happiness or emotional closure.

Inward-looking and clear-cut; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?