Published in 2023
6 hours and 12 minutes
Ruby Wax OBE is a British-American actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner. A classically-trained actress, Wax was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for five years and co-starred on the ITV sitcom Girls on Top (1985–1986).[3][4] She came to prominence as a comic interviewer, playing up to British perceptions of the strident American style on television shows including The Full Wax (1991–1994), Ruby Wax Meets… (1994–1998), Ruby (1997–2000), and The Ruby Wax Show (2002). She was a script editor for the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012), also appearing in two episodes.
Wax holds both American and British citizenship and has resided in the United Kingdom since the 1970s. In 2013, she gained a master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy from Kellogg College, Oxford. Wax was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 Special Honours for services to mental health. Her memoirs How Do You Want Me? (2002) and Sane New World (2013) both reached number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list.
What is this book about?
Checking into a psychiatric institution wasn’t exactly on Ruby Wax’s agenda for 2022 – writing about it wasn’t either, but here we are. These days, trying to stay sane in a completely chaotic world makes life incredibly difficult, especially if you’re struggling with your mental health. While searching for inner peace and equanimity amidst global chaos, Ruby realises that, ultimately, the most challenging gauntlet we all must face is ourselves.
I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was is Ruby’s most honest and raw book to date – an insight into the depths of her psyche, and a stark exploration of what trauma can do to someone. Reflecting on years of personal and professional experience, she opens up to listeners about her struggles with mental health and different treatments over the years, hoping to provide reassurance and guidance to anyone confronting their own anticipated, or unanticipated, struggles with mental health.
