The Box
An Invitation to Freedom from Anxiety
Published on 8. July 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
220 pages
978-1-64146-622-6 (ISBN)
Description
Are you ready to find your way out of your box?
There is a moment when you realize your life is no longer your own. You made it picture perfect. You thought it would make you happy and whole. You thought you could seal the walls tight and feel safe. But the panic doesn't pass, and the anxiety seeps in through every crack. Your pain uses perfection to hide the unraveling. But deep inside, you still hear the whisper of a voice that's always been there, calling to you, promising that you were meant for more.
In The Box, Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just 6 years old, Wendy's first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders: generalized, social and health, eating disorders, phobias, intrusive and suicidal thoughts, and dissociation. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.
Raw and powerful, vulnerable and intimate, The Box is both a triumphant memoir and an irresistible invitation. It portrays a courageous journey to find the source of a debilitating disorder in order to find the power to overcome it. Wendy's experience reminds us of the redemptive power of forgiveness and the healing power of love, not just for others, but for ourselves. It is a story of courage that reframes mental illness sufferers as survivors-a powerful portrait of a woman who refused to remain caged in a box of her making. Now, the invitation is yours... if you are willing to accept it.
There is a moment when you realize your life is no longer your own. You made it picture perfect. You thought it would make you happy and whole. You thought you could seal the walls tight and feel safe. But the panic doesn't pass, and the anxiety seeps in through every crack. Your pain uses perfection to hide the unraveling. But deep inside, you still hear the whisper of a voice that's always been there, calling to you, promising that you were meant for more.
In The Box, Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just 6 years old, Wendy's first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders: generalized, social and health, eating disorders, phobias, intrusive and suicidal thoughts, and dissociation. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.
Raw and powerful, vulnerable and intimate, The Box is both a triumphant memoir and an irresistible invitation. It portrays a courageous journey to find the source of a debilitating disorder in order to find the power to overcome it. Wendy's experience reminds us of the redemptive power of forgiveness and the healing power of love, not just for others, but for ourselves. It is a story of courage that reframes mental illness sufferers as survivors-a powerful portrait of a woman who refused to remain caged in a box of her making. Now, the invitation is yours... if you are willing to accept it.
Reviews / Votes
A memoir tracks a woman's four-decade struggle to overcome debilitating panic attacks."As a child, I was overwhelmed by my fears and began building walls to protect myself from what caused them," Robbins writes. She found a favorite place to hide from the chaos that erupted periodically in her home during those early years-a cardboard box, salvaged packaging for a new refrigerator her parents bought. Over time, she learned to build internal walls, a sturdy mental "box" that would protect her from an ever-increasing list of fears. By adulthood, those walls were firmly in place, keeping her safe but also preventing her from experiencing a full and joyful life.
"She began suffering panic attacks when she was only 6 years old. Here, she viscerally describes her childhood fear of rain, part of her broader fear of water: "No one could really understand it because they couldn't see what I saw inside my mind-the water filling the house or car, the hands on the windows grasping at life, the corpses floating on the water." To ward off imagined dangers, Robbins strove obsessively to establish order-everything in its proper place, doors locked, windows closed. She became a compulsive perfectionist, tormented by a poor body image, which led to roller-coaster years of dieting and overeating.
"In the most gripping passages of this intimate book, the author brings readers directly inside the experience of enduring a panic attack, which eventually would occur during classes, on trains, and, most frightening, while driving a car: "Your mind races through the scenarios-how long can I last without oxygen, is there a blood clot, am I having a stroke? Then the warm wave of terror washes over your body, making every hair stand on the end of a million goosebumps." With a determination to understand and confront her fears one by one, Robbins uses writing to revisit the timeline of her life.
"Although this too frequently results in repetition, her prose is lyrical and imaginative, often reaching into the mystical.
An informative, painful, and engaging portrait of acute anxiety that ends on a high note."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Wendy Tamis Robbins comes across as a woman with the world in her pocket. She's an esteemed law attorney, complete retrospectively with accomplishments such as being a Dartmouth College graduate and a decorated, all-star athlete. She's also a card-carrying member of the mental health community, bravely coming forward to share her own, respective experiences with clinical anxiety disorders in her new book, The Box: An Invitation to Freedom from Anxiety.
"No matter how dark things become for her, all you need to do is put the book down (impossible to do) and remember you're reading the self-professed ruminations and revelations of a post-modern, successful woman. Someone at a glance who, once again, seems like she has the entirety of the world in her pocket. If she can reach such a place in life despite all that darkness, then so can you..."
-Goodreads Review
"In a world that still stigmatizes mental illness, it's beyond refreshing to see someone share their journey through decades of anxiety with such openness and honesty. And that's exactly what Robbins does in The Box. She bears it all, from her generalized and social anxiety and phobias to her eating disorder and suicidal thoughts and proves that regaining control of your life IS possible. And that's such an impactful and necessary message in today's world because too many people are living as prisoners of their anxiety. Her powerful and relatable memoir is proof to anyone suffering with debilitating anxiety that there is life beyond their mental illness. Robbins is so real about how her refusal to keep her anxieties hidden ultimately changed her life. And that makes The Box a must-read for anyone who's been silently struggling with mental illness out of fear that there's no hope for change. Because Wendy proves that change IS possible when you choose to take control of your disorder and live your life with resilience."
-Lisa Sugarman, nationally syndicated columnist, radio show host, and author of How To Raise Perfectly Imperfect Kids And Be Ok With It, Untying Parent Anxiety, and LIFE: It Is What It Is
"This book is a love letter to anyone who's ever struggled to understand-and find hope-while dealing with the loneliness and frustration of anxiety."
-Brenda Ockun, StepMom Magazine, Founder/Publisher
"The Box is a daring investigation that gives voice and visibility to the experiences and choices we box and bottle up. Robbins reminds us of the power to share and heal though honest reflection and storytelling."
-Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk, M.S.Ed., Boston University
"Wendy's journey to overcome debilitating mental illness reminds us how serious mental health is, and that you are not alone if you are struggling. Read this book and set yourself free to your best life!"
-Janelle Bruland, author of The Success Lie: 5 Simple Truths to Overcome Overwhelm and Achieve Peace of Mind
"You don't know, what you don't know! As a lifelong sufferer of OCD and panic attacks, The Box answered questions that I had no idea to even ask. A real eye opener and must read!"
-Sam Liebman CEO Wealth Way Equity Group
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Issaquah
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 139 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-64146-622-6 (9781641466226)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Wendy Tamis Robbins is an attorney, author, speaker, anxiety coach, and self-proclaimed professional "panic-attacker." After living with various anxiety and panic disorders for almost 40 years, she is now anxiety-free. Not because she is entirely free of anxiety, but because it no longer controls her. She has traded living in resistance for building resilience. Her fears now fuel a life not only beyond her diagnosis but beyond her dreams.
On her path to recovery, she discovered a restorative, inner peace and reclaimed her authentic power. She is passionate about helping others who are hiding their fears behind destructive perfectionism and accommodating their anxiety to find the same freedom.
When Wendy hit rock bottom, it was hearing other people's stories that saved her life. Now she shares her own to be an example of what's possible.
Her unique coaching draws from her personal experience while finding common and relatable ground. Her balanced approach utilizes practical thought and holistic body/mind work while keeping a sharp focus on the goal. By allowing you to imagine your most beautiful life beyond anxiety, Wendy shows you how to believe it can be true, decide you are worthy of it, and ultimately manifest it.
Despite her anxiety, Wendy earned a scholarship and worked her way through Dartmouth College, where she competed on the varsity track and field team. After graduating from law school, she began her career as a corporate tax and finance attorney, working to create and preserve affordable housing and provide social impact financing and public welfare investments to underserved communities. She and her husband, David, live on the Massachusetts North Shore with his two teenage children. Wendy enjoys tennis, skiing, yoga, cycling, traveling, and race car driving.
On her path to recovery, she discovered a restorative, inner peace and reclaimed her authentic power. She is passionate about helping others who are hiding their fears behind destructive perfectionism and accommodating their anxiety to find the same freedom.
When Wendy hit rock bottom, it was hearing other people's stories that saved her life. Now she shares her own to be an example of what's possible.
Her unique coaching draws from her personal experience while finding common and relatable ground. Her balanced approach utilizes practical thought and holistic body/mind work while keeping a sharp focus on the goal. By allowing you to imagine your most beautiful life beyond anxiety, Wendy shows you how to believe it can be true, decide you are worthy of it, and ultimately manifest it.
Despite her anxiety, Wendy earned a scholarship and worked her way through Dartmouth College, where she competed on the varsity track and field team. After graduating from law school, she began her career as a corporate tax and finance attorney, working to create and preserve affordable housing and provide social impact financing and public welfare investments to underserved communities. She and her husband, David, live on the Massachusetts North Shore with his two teenage children. Wendy enjoys tennis, skiing, yoga, cycling, traveling, and race car driving.