Guilt Free - by Jennifer Reid (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A necessary examination of guilt--what it is, why women feel it so excessively, and how to let it go

Women are living with too much guilt. Across motherhood, career, relationships, and beyond, we are powerfully socialized to feel guilty--for not doing enough, for doing too much, for putting ourselves first. Often without realizing, we end up making decisions based on what we think we should be doing instead of what we actually want and need.

Why is guilt so powerful? And what does a guilt-free life look like?

For over a decade, psychiatrist Jennifer Reid asked herself these very questions as she worked with hundreds of highly functional, successful women otherwise crippled by guilt. In Guilt Free, she helps us understand and dismantle the roots of excessive guilt, in order to access more joy, agency, and purpose in our lives.

Drawing on powerful insights from psychology, behavioral science, and her own practice, Dr. Reid reveals:

• The science of guilt and how our expectations make it maladaptive
• What makes guilt a good motivator--and therefore difficult to let go of
• How to identify your guilt triggers
• Strategies for quieting and replacing guilt-inducing thoughts
• A roadmap for decision-making based on want and need instead of should

A guilt-free life is one where we--not our guilt--are in the driver's seat.

Review Quotes

Praise for Guilt Free

"I see it every day--women weighed down by guilt they don't deserve. Dr. Jennifer Reid gets it. In Guilt Free, she offers a powerful, practical framework to help women rewrite the stories they've been told about who they should be. This book is a gift for anyone ready to stop running on empty."
--Kelly Casperson, MD, author of You Are Not Broken and The Menopause Moment

"With enormous clarity and generosity, Dr. Reid offers a way out of the silent burden of guilt, sharing practical, science-backed strategies to break free from unrealistic expectations and reclaim your personal power."
--Jessica Baum, LMHC, author of Anxiously Attached

"A compassionate, science-based guide to breaking free from guilt so you can make the life choices you truly want to make. Weaving together stories with evidence, Reid offers a roadmap to help you overcome the guilt you've been socialized to feel when you put yourself first."
--Katy Milkman, PhD, author of How to Change

"Through compassionate insights, practical tools, and stories that feel achingly familiar, Dr. Jennifer Reid guides us toward a life directed by agency, desire, and authentic choice. This book is a reminder--you are already enough, and you deserve to live without guilt as the measure of your worth."
--Ellen Vora, MD, psychiatrist and author of The Anatomy of Anxiety

About the Author

Jennifer Reid, MD is a psychiatrist, the creator and host of The Reflective Mind Podcast, and an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches the next generation of psychiatrists. She can also be found at A Mind of Her Own on Substack, where she focuses on empowering women to nurture a deep and lasting self-trust and sense of agency. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two sons.