A Toolkit for a Noisy Mind: How John Green Manages Anxiety, Depression, and Intrusive Thoughts

Plus, how the bestselling author writes his way out of despair.   John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of books including Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, and The Anthropocene Reviewed. With his brother, Hank, John has co-created many online video projects, including Vlogbrothers and the educational channel Crash Course. His most recent book is Everything Is Tuberculosis.   In this episode we talk about: John's toolkit for managing thought spirals and dispair Why he wrote a whole book about the thing that terrifies him  How he maintains hope in a chaotic and unfair world Finding the "self"  Shame reduction through naming What John learned from his time as a chaplain in a pediatric hospital  His current view of God And the question of how much––or how little––we should be sharing about ourselves with other people   Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.   Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here. This episode is sponsored by: Paleo Valley — 100% grass-fed beef sticks made without preservatives or additives. Get 15% off at https://www.paleovalley.com/happier or use code HAPPIER at checkout Square — Business tools with AI, smart reporting, and payments all in one place. Get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://www.square.com/go/happier Gainbridge — Guaranteed-rate financial products with no hidden fees. Learn more at https://www.gainbridge.com LinkedIn Ads — Reach the right professionals with precision targeting. Spend $250 and get a $250 credit at http://www.linkedin.com/happier   To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris