'A brilliantly honest reminder about how to control your online space and not let it control you' Emma Gannon, Sunday Times bestselling author
'Fiona writes about mental health with fearless honesty and a quick wit. So much will resonate with so many' Yvette Caster, host of Mentally Yours podcast
Fiona Thomas was your average '80s baby. She grew up without an iPhone, used actual landlines to make calls and didn't have the luxury (or perhaps the curse) of Facebook during her adolescent years. But though her childhood took place in an analogue world, she found herself suffering from the same problems many young people face today: the race for perfectionism, high levels of anxiety, a fear of success.
After an unfulfilling university experience, a stressful beginning in a management career and a severe case of impostor syndrome, Fiona suffered a nervous breakdown in her mid-twenties. Amongst therapy and medication, it was the online community which gave Fiona the comfort she needed to recover and to find a career that made her happy.
Through her own experience at the time and with the benefit of hindsight, Fiona provides signposts for the reader to help them to understand:
the importance of the right type of connection, both on and offline, not only with others but with oneselfhow connection can aid in recoverythat finding the right career can help to enhance our wellbeing and mental healthhow and why purpose and wellbeing are interlinked.Peppered with listicles, questions to ask yourself and key takeaways, Work it Out perfectly combines first-person lived experience with practical advice. Fiona shows us how to prioritize our mental health by finding the right purpose-centered career and how the internet has helped to make that possible.
Fiona Thomas is a freelance writer who was born in Glasgow but is now living in Birmingham, UK.
Since starting her mental health blog in 2012 she has been published in Metro, Reader’s Digest, Happiful and Grazia, to name a few. She has also been featured in Cosmopolitan, Red magazine, Good Housekeeping and Refinery29. She speaks regularly about mental health and freelancing at events all over the UK.
Her first book, Depression in a Digital Age: The Highs and Lows of Perfectionism, was published in 2018, and was called "brilliantly honest" by bestselling author Emma Gannon. Her second book, Out of Office: Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss, is a guide to freelancing with a focus on mindset, practicality and mental health.
Her passion is working with female-led businesses and shining a light on the positive impact that freelancing can have on our wellbeing.
