The Liar Inside Us: An Anxious Overachiever’s 5-Phase Journey from Panic to Peace

CNN host S. E. Cupp struggled with a severe anxiety disorder for years without knowing it—until it hit her like a truck. She chronicles her journey to recovery in this deeply personal, fresh, and ground-breaking guide that describes in haunting and often-graphic detail her battle with what she calls the liar inside.

Anxiety is a fantastic liar.

It's irrational and it's relentless. It will insist there's danger around every corner. It doesn't care how successful you are or how much money you have. And it preys on your worst fears.

S. E. Cupp made her living delivering the news, until the news—and life—started delivering her panic attacks. A sharp, no-nonsense television host known for cutting through the noise, Cupp found herself trapped by the noise inside her own head. Like a bartender forced to quit drinking, she found herself trying to dial down her empathy and fears while reporting painful and frightening events to put a stop to the relentless anxiety that nearly broke her.

There have been many great books by doctors and therapists—she’s read them. In The Liar Inside Us, Cupp maps the journey from anxious mind to recovery from the patient’s point of view rare clarity and candor, naming the disorienting, slippery experience many of us know too well:

The Liar—when fear twists every thought into catastrophe
The Mirror—when you finally see the unavoidable truth staring back at you
The Scientist—when you begin testing, questioning, and experimenting with solutions
The Widow—when you mourn the version of yourself anxiety has stolen
The Manager—when you find the systems that work to keep you safe

Cupp found a pathway out of her own personal hell and is sharing it to help end the stigma and the silence around mental health. She organizes the chaos and confusion, providing language, order, and purpose to help unpack and recover from the disorder that's become the number one mental health issue in the United States. Whether you feel like you're white knuckling through life or suspect someone you love may be struggling with anxiety, The Liar Inside Us is the roadmap Cupp wished she’d had: an honest, unflinching, and ultimately hopeful guide to mental wellness.

Living with anxiety is overwhelming, exhausting, and paralyzing. Learning to live without it is imperative, and the earlier you can catch it, the easier it is to loosen its grip.