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How to Eat an Elephant
- Author
- India Sturgis
- Narrator
- India Sturgis
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 7 May 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 6 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
The life-changing power of managing anxiety, one bite at a time.
Anxiety doesn't discriminate. It can strike anyone, at any time of life, no matter how things look from the outside.
In 2019 successful journalist India Sturgis was admitted to the Priory with anxiety so severe she was considered a risk to herself. What followed was a long, determined journey back to herself, trying everything from medication and therapy to cold-water swimming, neurofeedback, diet changes and mindfulness. Along the way, she discovered that while anxiety can feel crippling, it is also highly treatable, and the right tools and information can turn it from an overwhelming force into something you can live well alongside.
How to Eat an Elephant is the friendly, expert-led companion to reach for when anxiety feels too big to face alone. Written with warmth and honesty, it combines India's own lived experience with the latest insights from world-leading specialists and those who have have pronounced personal experiences with anxiety disorders, to share what helped them most.
- Understand what anxiety really is (and why it is more common than ever)
- Explore treatments that work, from CBT and medication to body-based techniques and lifestyle tweaks
- Build practical everyday habits that reduce anxiety over time
Whether you're in the thick of it, or supporting someone who is, this is the approachable, no-pressure guide to living better with anxiety, not despite it.
Critics Review
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'I loved it. I truly mean every word of this quote! Categorically the most useful book I have ever read about how to navigate, manage and make friends with your anxiety. Fascinating, packed with research, and a complete salve. Has already become a really important book in my life. (I wish I'd had it ten years ago!).' Pandora Sykes, Author, journalist & broadcaster
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'How to Eat and Elephant is the best book on anxiety I know. India Sturgis captures the nature and lived experience of clinical anxiety in all its forms, and does so with warmth, intelligence and balance. Her book doesn't merely inform but also offers practical hope, bringing the confusing jumble of available treatments and self-help techniques into sharper focus. Sturgis's emphasis on simplifying, slowing down and patiently finding out what works for the individual is excellent. Elephant should be on the menu for anyone who struggles with anxiety or knows someone living that struggle. The book will change lives.' Prof Nick Haslam, Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
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'This will be of enormous help to those who suffer from anxiety, insomnia and mental wellbeing difficulties. A truly needed book that de-stigmatises fear, worry and panic, and is both compelling and very well researched.' Dr Stephen Pereira MD, FRCPsych, DPM, MSc, MBBS, Consultant psychiatrist and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Specialist
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'A very approachable read and more importantly, a strong message about hope.' Dr Shruthi Guruswamy Mb Bch BAO MSc MRCPsych
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'Aimed not only at people suffering from anxiety but at their loved ones.'- The Times
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Details
- Author
- India Sturgis
- Narrator
- India Sturgis
- Duration
- 9 hours 6 minutes
- Release Date
- 7 May 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008658939
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Coping with / advice about mental health issues or topics, Mental health services, Care of people with mental health conditions, Popular psychology, Memoirs
Synopsis
The life-changing power of managing anxiety, one bite at a time. Anxiety doesn't discriminate. It can strike anyone, at any time of life, no matter how things look from the outside. In 2019 successful journalist India Sturgis was admitted to the Priory with anxiety so severe she was considered a risk to herself. What followed was a long, determined journey back to herself, trying everything from medication and therapy to cold-water swimming, neurofeedback, diet changes and mindfulness. Along the way, she discovered that while anxiety can feel crippling, it is also highly treatable, and the right tools and information can turn it from an overwhelming force into something you can live well alongside. How to Eat an Elephant is the friendly, expert-led companion to reach for when anxiety feels too big to face alone. Written with warmth and honesty, it combines India's own lived experience with the latest insights from world-leading specialists and those who have have pronounced personal experiences with anxiety disorders, to share what helped them most. Understand what anxiety really is (and why it is more common than ever) Explore treatments that work, from CBT and medication to body-based techniques and lifestyle tweaks Build practical everyday habits that reduce anxiety over time Whether you're in the thick of it, or supporting someone who is, this is the approachable, no-pressure guide to living better with anxiety, not despite it.
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