From award-winning journalist Meg Kissinger, a searing memoir of a family besieged by mental illness, as well as an incisive exploration of the systems that failed them and a testament to the love that sustained them.

Growing up in the 1960s in the suburbs of Chicago, Meg Kissinger’s family seemed to live a charmed life. With eight kids and two loving parents, the Kissingers radiated a warm, boisterous energy. Whether they were spending summer days on the shores of Lake Michigan, barreling down the ski slopes, or navigating the trials of their Catholic school, the Kissingers always knew how to live large and play hard.

But behind closed doors, a harsher reality was unfolding–a heavily medicated mother hospitalized for anxiety and depression, a manic father prone to violence, and children in the throes of bipolar disorder and depression, two of whom would take their own lives. Through it all, the Kissingers faced the world with their signature dark humor and the unspoken family rule: never talk about it.

While You Were Out begins as the personal story of one family’s struggles then opens outward, as Kissinger details how childhood tragedy catalyzed a journalism career focused on exposing our country’s flawed mental health care. Combining the intimacy of memoir with the rigor of investigative reporting, the book explores the consequences of shame, the havoc of botched public policy, and the hope offered by new treatment strategies.

Powerful, candid and filled with surprising humor, this is the story of one family’s love and resilience in face of great loss.

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*The ideal gift to yourself in the middle of winter* Stylist’s Christmas gift books round up 2021

In just 5 weeks, you will come out of Your Mental Health Workout with a sharper mind, clearer-decision making skills and greater resilience.

Your Mental Health Workout™ provides you with exercises, tools, affirmations and expert guidance so you can start looking after your mental health for the long term. Zoë Aston, psychotherapist, the UK mental health expert at Headspace and mental health consultant to many high-profile individuals, has devised a ground-breaking 5-week schedule to help you build mental muscle; she incorporates 2 to 3 years of one-to-one therapy in one book. Our mental health is just like our physical health; we all have psychological weak spots or injuries and, just like physical injury, when they get used they may feel tender or uncomfortable. They need to be cared for in the right way so they can heal.

Zoë’s tried-and-tested workout plan, which helps to normalise the conversation around mental health, is split into weekly and daily sets. The weekly workouts help develop accountability, commitment to yourself and others and encourage physical exercise as a form of mood management. While your daily workouts move your focus inwards, providing space and time for you to look after the integrity of your mind through development of healthy self-talk. At the end of the book, there is a handy planner so you can easily track your progress.

By following Zoë’s plan you will become stronger, happier and can create the internal emotional landscape you want to live in.

‘I worked with Zoë for 6 months, prior to which I had always been quite sceptical about whether I would benefit from therapy. During that time she helped me to get to know myself, understand myself, and be kinder to myself.’ – Dr Zoë Williams

‘Zoë’s techniques are easy and give great results. Her work has given me wonderful insight into how I can look after my mind and makes mental wellness feel accessible to everyone. I highly recommend Your Mental Health Workout™ to anyone who has the desire to improve their emotional health.’ – Pixie Lott

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