First published 2015
Women learn early that their changing moods mark them as problems to be solved. Society demands emotional flatness over the natural ebb and flow that comes with female biology. Dr. Julie Holland argues this approach costs women their greatest asset. She contends that mood shifts serve as a sophisticated feedback system, signaling when bodies are ready for different challenges and alerting women to emerging issues. Holland examines how psychiatric medications affect sex, relationships, sleep, and focus. She explores the connections between diet and emotional states, discusses exercise and sleep patterns, and presents natural alternatives to pharmaceutical interventions. One in four American women takes psychiatric drugs, often numbing emotions that could guide better life decisions. Holland provides practical strategies for working with natural mood patterns rather than against them, helping women reclaim emotional wisdom their bodies already possess.
Genres: mental-health, gender-studies, feminism, health, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: informed-consent
432 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press
Content warnings: mental-illness