Warm, insightful, and witty, the first book of advice from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson—aka the Bloggess.

HOW TO BE OKAY WHEN NOTHING IS OKAY:
Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
by Jenny Lawson
Penguin Life, March 2026
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)

Jenny Lawson is full of contradictions. She’s a celebrated author but battles self-doubt, paralysis, and anxiety. She’s an award-winning humorist but struggles with treatment-resistant depression. The questions people most often ask her are, “How do you do it? How do you keep going even when it feels impossible? How do you keep creating?” This book is her answer.

In HOW TO BE OKAY WHEN NOTHING IS OKAY, Jenny shares more than one hundred humorous, heartfelt, and genuine tools and tricks that she relies on to keep her going even when her brain isn’t working properly due to depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She also offers tips to stay passionate and focused on creative endeavors, especially when everything around you is saying to give up.

With chapters like “Wash Your Brain More Than You Wash Your Bra” (sleep, you beautiful human), “Working on Easy Mode Is Still Working” (asking for accommodations is okay!), “Celebrate Good Times, Come On!” (make it a habit to celebrate the good things), and many more, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay is a balm and companion, reminding us all that we are not alone. It’s for anyone who struggles with self-doubt, guilt, motivation, and mental blocks and wants to rekindle their passion for creating. Funny, simple, empathetic, and full of hope, it will encourage you not to just survive but to find and curate joy in the face of difficult times.

« …A witty roundup of coping strategies for navigating anxiety, creative block, and distraction…Lawson’s at her most winning when she’s relating her personal mishaps…to show how ordinary embarrassment can be reframed as evidence of persistence rather than failure. The result is an irreverent, idiosyncratic grab bag of tactics for getting through tough mental health days. » —Publisher’s Weekly

“Uplifting, encouraging and incredibly inspiring, this latest from humorist and blogger Lawson (Broken) is filled with hilarious and heartfelt practical advice for creatives and people struggling with their mental health… Thanks to Lawson’s humor, frankness, and insight, her book ends up being much more than just another standard self-help guide. Lawson’s words will likely bring comfort and aid to readers with anxiety, chronic illness, ADHD, and depression in the times when they might be struggling the most. —Library Journal, starred review

« How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay is wise and funny and a reminder that you don’t have to be perfect in imperfect times (which is always). I hope Jenny Lawson never gets tired of being an actual national treasure. »—John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain

Jenny Lawson has published four New York Times bestsellers, including Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy. She is the owner and proprietress of Nowhere Bookshop, a beloved independent bookstore and bar in San Antonio, Texas. She’s been writing her popular, award-winning blog (thebloggess.com) for over 15 years and has a very large social media following on X, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.