Freefall to Fly by Rebekah Lyons

Women today are fading. In a female culture built on Photoshopped perfection and Pinterest fantasies, we've lost the ability to dream our own big dreams. So busy trying to do it all and have it all, we've missed the life we were really designed for. And we are paying the price. The rise of loneliness, depression, and anxiety among the female population in Western cultures is at an all-time high. Overall, women are two and a half times more likely to take antidepressants than men. What is it about our culture, the expectations, and our way of life that is breaking women down in unprecedented ways?

In this vulnerable memoir of transformation, Rebekah Lyons shares her journey from Atlanta, Georgia, to the heart of Manhattan, where she found herself blindsided by crippling depression and anxiety. Overwhelmed by the pressure to be domestically efficient, professionally astute, and physically attractive, Rebekah finally realized that freedom can come only by facing our greatest fears and fully surrendering to God's call on our lives. This book is an invitation for all women to take that first step toward freedom. For it is only when we free-fall that we can truly fly. (publisher description)

Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning by Rebekah Lyons is much like reading the personal journal of someone. This is an honest account of how her life began to spiral as she dealt with her hopes, fears, frustrations, her present, and her past. As she attempted to grab onto things that would stop the the panicked feelings of spiraling out of control, she felt more laden with anxiety and was concerned over the burdens her family were also having to deal with as well. One illustration that stood out to me was our harmful words being rocks we pile on those we love. We think of throwing rocks/stones that may bruise or even break a "bone", but it is even worse to think of simply piling those rocks on a loved one until they are eventually crushed by the weight of it all. I think it is the weight of those that can lead to someone being to exhausted to properly heal. So, she encourages women not to hold on to those burdens (or hand them to other family members) or keep grabbing at things to stop ourselves in our pursuit of living the life of the woman God created us to be. It may not be the plan you envisioned but we each have our own journey and God has equipped us with the desires and talents to fly...but first we have to jump.

This wasn't one of those, "I can't put this down!" books for me, but it was good. A couple of things she had to say did give me something to think about, and that's a good thing. On the other hand, not all of us have supportive family and friends we can freely share with when going through difficulties. I would recommend the book, though.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Handlebar.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.