Falling Upwards: Living the Dream, One Panic Attack at a Time by Jeremy Fall is about the author’s journey to manage a successful career while juggling his mental health issues. Jeremy Fall was raised by a single mom who managed a restaurant. Jeremy grew up blocks away from LA's infamous Skid Row and he and his mother struggled financially.
Skid Row is known for being an area where people who are down on their luck or addicted to drugs hang out. The majority of people who reside at Skid Row live on the streets. Society expects people who come from this area or surrounding area to stay there and not excel in life.
At night, Jeremy would go into the kitchen in the restaurant and prepare snacks that would help calm his anxious, OCD mind. He creates things without following a recipe but to his own taste. Following his dad, Jeremy was drawn to the nightlife and wanted to create something that was low key but still fun and noteworthy. He created a few successful ventures in the nightlife and food space. He became known as “The Food Guy”. Many of his ideas were widely successful, creative, and out of the box. He used this idea of “paper clipping” two unrelated ideas to make a successful new idea.
As Jeremy continues to rack up accolades and achievements, he still couldn’t quiet the voices in his head that told him that he wasn’t good enough. He struggled with crippling anxiety that would leave him coughing and unable to focus on the situation at hand. Jeremy was hesitant to see a therapist or take drugs to help manage his condition until one day he decided he needed to stand up and take charge of his health.
I thought the book was an interesting read. I am not familiar with Jeremy Fall so reading about his work and accomplishments was new for me. I enjoyed reading to see how Jeremy tries to use his anxiety to his advantage until the day he realizes he needs help. It was a big step for him and anyone else who realizes when they need help and tries to get it. It was refreshing to read about his experiences with his therapist and finding the right treatment plan for him.
I liked reading about his different career paths and accomplishments. I did hear about the boozy cereal milk idea but had no idea the author was behind its creation. It was interesting to see his thought process in creating new ideas. His idea of “paperclipping” seemed cool and I am not sure if it can be applied to other areas but it was an interesting technique to learn about.
It was entertaining to read about his childhood and how his childhood experiences shaped him. He got his love for food from his mother and his love for nightlife from his dad and he paperclipped those two loves into a successful career. It was inspiring because he grew up with modest means and tried to be successful so he would never have to feel poor again. As someone who grew up in a similar financial situation, I can understand and connect with him on that level.
I also tend to have a lot of anxiety and it was educational seeing someone else describe their anxiety. He had a similar experience and even our need to people please over our own wellbeing. We both tend to stress and overthink situations that are beyond our control. The author also shared a helpful tip on using a stop light when we find ourselves spiraling. We should stop to think about why we are thinking about it and then understand why we feel the need to continuously ruminate on it. Then we decide if it is something in our control or if we can do anything to change the situation. If not, we should let it go and move on. I found this helpful when I found myself stressing over something and was using a similar technique when I was trying to manage my anxiety. If you are a fan of Jeremy Fall, I think you would enjoy this book.
