Checking In: A Semi-Functional Girl's Guide to Surviving the Psych Ward and Other Existential Crises

At some point, pretending you’re okay becomes more exhausting than admitting you’re not.

Checking In is a raw, reflective journey through psych wards, panic spirals, and the kind of existential crises that don’t come with a clean diagnosis or a neat solution. Written with dry humor and unfiltered honesty, this book explores what it means to exist in the in-between—functioning, but barely; hopeful, but tired.

This isn’t a recovery memoir wrapped in a bow. It’s a collection of moments, realizations, and survival truths for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by their own mind. It’s about learning to ask for help, learning to sit with discomfort, and learning that staying is sometimes the bravest choice you can make.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re strong enough to keep going—this book is your quiet yes.

Kennedy Layne is an aspiring writer with a heart full of stories and dreams of sharing them with the world. She's a proud dog mom to the cutest Maltese on the planet, Prince Charming (Char, for short), and a wild, rambunctious mini Golden Doodle named Presley Grace (yes, like Elvis).Deeply rooted in her community, Kennedy is active in several civic organizations and volunteers as a librarian at her church library. She lives in south Georgia, with her younger sister, just down the road from her parents and her childhood home.Kennedy is always planning her next adventure, whether it's a beach getaway or a magical escape to Walt Disney World. She's a proud Swiftie who believes there's a Taylor lyric for every occasion, that iced tea with Splenda (because, you know...diabetes) can cure anything, and that there will never be a better show than The Vampire Diaries. She cheers loudest for the Atlanta Braves and her beloved Georgia Southern Eagles-Hail Southern!