Anxiety has cost Jen Kirkman several things over the course of her life, including, as she explains in our conversation, a study abroad program in Amsterdam, an effective outcome of a fear of flying class, and a pleasant time on a Ferris wheel. She doesn’t even remember that trip on the Ferris wheel but she knows it happened from an old photo where she looks absolutely haunted. Among the other problems anxiety has caused is confusion in kindergarten about whether she actually had parents. Along the way, Jen has become a successful comedian, comedy writer, and best-selling author, known for her candid and often hilarious stories of her life and the situations she’s found herself in.

Jen is managing her anxiety now. She’s recognizing the cognitive distortions and relying on her own accumulated skills and experience to get through the moments and events that anxiety is intent on messing up.

Visit Jen Kirkman's website at www.jenkirkman.com. Subscribe and listen to the Anxiety Bites podcast and the No Fun podcast on the podcatcher of your choice. Follow Jen on Twitter @JenKirkman and on Instagram @jenkirkman.

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Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

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John's acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is available here.

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John is on Twitter @johnmoe.