Thoughts on Things Found and Lost and Hoped For - If You Feel Too Much

This book brings a topic that most would rather not talk about into the light. Throughout reading this I found myself wanting to talk more about addiction and depression and help spread the conversation throughout my community. It really impacted me and in a way made me had to do some reflecting of my own that lead to me realizing that depression, addiction, and everything that comes with it is not something that is taken as seriously as it should be and that people are afraid of admitting that they need other people. I, myself, know that it is difficult to admit that you need help and what Jamie has done with TWLOHA and this book helps show that it is okay to ask for help. Overall, I think this book stirred this urge to help others inside of me and for that I am definitely happy that I chose to read it.

Yesterday I finished reading Jamie Tworkowski​'s book, "If You Feel Too Much: Thoughts on Things Found and Lost and Hoped For." For those of you who don't know, Jamie is the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms.​ (TWLOHA), an amazing organization whose mission is "presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide."

The book is a collection of some of Jamie's writings from between 2005 and 2014, many of which appear on the TWLOHA blog (a blog I was honored to write for in March of last year). Even though I had read many of these pieces before, I wanted to take them in all at once, in book form. And I'm so glad I did.

"If You Feel Too Much" is a book of hope, for sure. It should be required reading not only for people who may be struggling, but for everyone. The messages Tworkowski's essays convey are so important. They tell us what is actually important in life, and how we should live and treat others. If more people thought and lived like Jamie Tworkowski, the world would be such a better place.

Of all the selections in this book, a couple of them really stand out to me. Of course, there's "To Write Love on Her Arms," which is the piece that gave birth to the entire TWLOHA movement back in 2006. Jamie wrote the story about then-19-year-old Renee Yohe, who was battling depression and addiction, frequently cut herself, and had attempted suicide. After Jamie posted the story on MySpace, it went viral. The rest, as they say, is history.

But of all the writings in "If You Feel Too Much," I was most moved by "There Is Still Some Time." It's a short piece. Under 300 words. But those words are so impactful. Here's a portion of it:

"You are more than just your pain. You are more than wounds, more than drugs, more than death and silence.

There is still some time to be surprised.

There is still some time to ask for help.

There is still some time to start again.

There is still some time for love to find you.

It’s not too late.

You’re not alone."

If you need some hope, pick up a copy of "If You Feel Too Much" and read it. And if you know someone who's going through a difficult time, no matter what the reason, maybe grab a copy for them and suggest that they read it. It is truly powerful.

This book opens with a sorta disclaimer that I now realise was necessary. I feel like it provides a peak into who Jamie is and the lives that he has been touched by.

The book is Jamie's open invitation to us to look into his life and some of his story. There some amazing moment's that gutted me and those that I was able to relate with.

I can't wait for the next installation and the view you will take as you write it!!

This has probably been the most wonderful book I have ever read. It was real. It was beautiful. It spoke to me.
I bought a copy for a friend of mine who also battles depression.
TWLOHA has saved my life before this book came out and I wanted support Jamie. He has one of the truest and most beautiful souls of anyone that I have ever met.

If you are someone or know someone struggling with depression, anxiety or any other mental health issues, do yourself a favor and buy this book. Then buy another one to give to a friend. The author's message of love and hope resonates throughout each chapter. I read this book in one sitting and am currently reading it again. When my depression gets the best of me, this book is my new go-to healing place.

Beautifully written book. I've enjoyed watching TWLOHA grow into a massive community of people who love people. Reading this book is like staring directly into Jamie's soul. He shares his struggles, dreams, thoughts, and past experiences in such a way that you feel like you've been there with him. His writings on birthdays, Memorial day, and Thanksgiving had me tearing up. I can relate to the things he's written so well. Thank you for sharing your heart with us Jamie!

If you struggle with feeling things deeply and thinking you are the only one out there, then this book is for you. It is an honest, authentic book of stories of what it is about to be human in this world of so many unknowns, of love and loss and misunderstanding but also beauty and knowing divine truth and where it comes from.

I'll see you tomorrow because there are more stories to be shared, more laughter to share and people to love and lift up. Thank you for this book, working in Behavioral Health for the last 16 years, I will recommend it highly to our patients.

Awesome book for any individual regardless if he or she is battling addiction, depression, or self-injury. Everyone has days where they need a confidence boost or to be told they matter. Thanks USWNT for promoting TWLOA, glad to add the book to my library.

“What if all those things that make up your story, the hard stuff and the good stuff, all the fears and dreams– what if all of it matters?”
– Jamie Tworkowski

I’ve been reading If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski. Many of the essays and thoughts in this book were familiar pieces I’d already seen floating around online, but reading a bunch of them in succession was really kind of amazing. It accomplished it’s goal of painting a picture of life as an incredible, often difficult yet worthwhile thing.

This book lived up to my expectations. It lived up to its title. It was centered on the feelings of life, and in a very substantive way. It had a gritty edge along the side of its words.

This may come across as high praise for the book, and if it does, good. That’s what I mean it to be. This book made me want to write again. I know I already write a lot, but this reminded me so much about what I loved when I started turning thoughts into words.

Eh.. a bit self indulgent. Mainly, it is a picture of immaturity; immature faith, immature emotions, immature thinking, etc. Lacking in principles or truth, though probably written with good intentions. The general theme is fine, of course, but it lacks structure or any compelling drive.

I usually close most books being amazed by the new perspectives and visions that I earn. Unfirtunately, this book doesn't provide much depth, messages, structure, nor maturity. This is like a collection of blog postings or journal book of a college boy. #dontfeeltoomuchfromthereviews

Jamie definitely feels too much. A little to emo and religious based for my tastes. This collection of stories felt like it was more about him name dropping the cool kids he hung out with, rather than the internal struggles he faced.

This light is great...when it actually works. When you plug it in & press the power button, the lights usually doesn’t come on. After unplugging & replugging about 5 times it finally works. Also, sometimes it cuts off before the time limit is up. I bought this item based on the reviews because they seemed to be positive. My experience has been different. I’m sure there are way better lights than this. Wish I had shopped around more.

Jamie Tworkowsi writes with deep feeling and convincing beliefs about the problems of depression and addiction. While helping a friend face her problems and heal, he founded a non-profit organization, TWLOHA, To Write Love on Her Arm, to break the silence surrounding such conditions. He encourages people to get the help they need and deserve.
This is a book to read slowly in order to learn what he is saying. He tells people that it is okay to ask for help, to break the silence and cycle. He lets the individual know that they are not alone and that people need other people. He believes Love is that simple answer to so many of our hardest questions. Friendship might be life's greatest gift, thus one should make friends and to make sure they know they matter. For him reality is the best place to live for it is where healing begins, one day at a time and your choice is made each morning. It is a privilege that God allows us to connect with other people in this life, to be known and loved so that we don't walk alone.

This was a great book. A story of depression, addiction and helping others. Finding our way through our story. I have just recently been introduced to Jamie Tworkowski's work with To Write Love on Her Arms and I am super happy that I have been as this is an amazing organization that more people need to know about.

Too Feel Too Much is a fabulous collection of Jamie's blog posts & stories from over the years of 2005 to 2014 while starting TWLOHA and writing this book. It is amazing the ups and downs and the people Jamie has met and helped along the way. I devoured this book and decided to check out more of Jamie's work online. This guy has a huge heart and been there for others to share their stories with even when his isn't going that well for himself. This book really had me thinking about our life and how it really is like writing our own story. We are living our story and we can choose to see the good and help others along the way. One minute I was laughing and then the next in tears. This has taken me on an emotional journey for sure. The poem There is Still Some Time at the end of this novel had me in tears. It really makes you think about what goes through peoples minds while there are in that tough time.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I remember underlying a phrase that Jamie used in telling one of his stories. He spoke about a girl that he met and again, the topic was birthdays. He recalls that 'she said that birthdays made little sense aside from love, without a person to share them with.' (page 82, If You Feel Too Much) Maybe life feels like that at times. Maybe it seems like it isn't worth it or it makes little sense without love or a person to share it with. That is why I think that this book, but ultimately the message found within its pages, is meant for strangers as well. I think it's important to know that we are not alone and that our story matters but it is just as important for others to know that as well. I hope to be someone who comes alongside of strangers and helps them push back the darkness a bit. Life is a beautiful thing when Hope and other people are involved.

Read more of this book review here: http://www.courtneyfricke.com/book-reviews/book-review-if-you-feel-too-much-by-jamie-tworkowski

In 2009, a friend started to share Anberlin songs with me. I began to follow the band on Twitter and Facebook and entwined in their musical campaign had been TWLOHA. Since then I followed both entities, going to two Anberlin concerts and following tweets of TWLOHA. This past summer of 2015 Jamie released this book. After such positive tweets and reviews, I decided to make a point to read “If You Feel Too Much.” The book took less than 90 minutes of my time to read, but it leaves messages in moments that I can utilize through the rest of my life. I believe I enjoyed this book because like Jamie, I am an intense person. A while back I read a book entitled The Power of Now, which focused on being present and living for the current moment, forgiving and learning from the past in order to live a healthy future. If You Feel Too Much reminds me of that book. Jamie focuses on relationships and wants his audience to never forget they are not alone. As he details, we may become broken from relationships but relationships are powerful enough to also keep us whole. We have to continue our bonds with people in love and hope through one another's roughest emotion. Jamie is a compassionate writer and the language of his heart makes our world a healthier place. I hope Jamie writes another book, because I will be excited to read more of his guiding thoughts.

This is a bunch of short essays (blog posts) from Jamie's life. They are split chronologically by where he was in location and in life. Most are interesting and bring up things to think about. Especially those regarding loving and caring for others.

To Write Love on Her Arms is included in the collection.

I first heard about Jamie Tworkowski from my friend Isa, after she shared with me this quote: "Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that i don’t like love. i love love – i think it’s the best thing that happens on the planet. It’s the biggest dream inside me. But i bought a lie somewhere along the way. i bought the lie that says i’m not alive if i’m not in love. i bought the lie that says if i love someone but then they stop loving me or they start loving someone else, then i must have no value or power or worth. i bought the lie that says if i’m not in love, then i’m as good as dead."

I had no idea who he was until then, until I found out that he is the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), “…an American non-profit organization that aims to to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide while also investing directly into treatment and recovery.”1 I found out about TWLOHA back in college, I think, because some of my favorite bands (Switchfoot, Anberlin, Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, etc) support the organization. That’s the most that I knew about Jamie and TWLOHA, and I was vaguely aware that there was a book coming out. When I received an email from the publicist asking if I wanted to review the book, I immediately said yes because if most of the book contained nuggets of wisdom like that quote that Isa shared to me last time, then I definitely want to read this book.

If You Feel Too Much is, at its core, a collection of Jamie Tworkowski’s blog entries through the years. The topics range from work, family, friendships, romance, love, addiction, depression, self-injury, and brokenness. That’s a lot to digest, but since these came from blog entries, they’re really easy to read. If you’re reading this as a memoir with a chronology of events, you might get a bit disappointed because some of the chapters feel a little bit disjointed, and sometimes some of them seemed to carry the same thought. Some of them may even be seem too short, but that’s easy to overlook because the everything here is full of heart. More than being readable, this book is super relatable. It doesn’t matter if the context of the entry is different – there’s some sort of universal truth that makes the reader connect to the things you read in this book.

Jamie’s thoughts focused a lot on reaching out, on being a friend, on opening up to people and offering love. Inversely, he also talked about how if we don’t have the strength to reach out and to offer love, then it’s okay. We don’t have to be strong all the time — sometimes, we need to be on the receiving end, too. If You Feel Too Much does not just tell its readers that we are not alone, but more importantly, we all have a part to play in this life. As Sierra De Mulder (who was mentioned in the book, too) wrote: your voice is someone’s favorite voice, your face is someone’s favorite face.

If You Feel Too Much is all about the pain and beauty and loss and hope that makes up our being human. If you feel too much, too, then this is the book for you. Read it all in one sitting, or read it bit by bit – if only to remind yourself of the truths that we often forget about ourselves.

And it was absolutely everything that I hoped it would be. It was honest, it was true; there isn't a single shred of facade or ego in Jamie Tworkowski's writing. In this beautiful collection of 'songs' as he calls it, he puts it all out there, with a sincere "This is me, and it's okay to be you", that is almost so moving it breaks your heart. Please be prepared with tissues (I was not and wearing mascara, so learn from my mistakes) please be ready to tell everyone you know about it, please buy copies for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. Please, just take it to bed with you and fall asleep with it open on your pillow. It's that beautiful. It's that perfect. Just be ready - this book is a game changer.

I really wanted to like this book because I think the organization that Jamie founded, To Write Love On Her Arms, has such an important message. Unfortunately, the book fell flat. The stories included read like disjointed blog posts (most of which I assume were actual blog posts) that don't quite add to up a cohesive message or give the reader much reason to empathize with the author. There are, however, glimmers of strength in the writing, which makes me hopeful that we will see better books from Jamie in the future.