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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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A Really Good Day summary
Ayelet Waldman
How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life
4.2 (69 ratings)
23 mins
8 key ideas
Audio & text
What is A Really Good Day about?
A Really Good Day (2018) is the true story of one writer’s attempt to tackle her struggles with depression and mood disorder through a novel – and illegal – remedy: microdoses of LSD. Charting her experiment with the drug over 30 days, Ayelet Waldman explores her reactions and discovers a newfound sense of serenity in her everyday life. At the same time, A Really Good Day is a broader exploration of the history of LSD, the myths that surround it and society’s attitudes toward legal and illegal drugs.
About the Author
Ayelet Waldman was a federal public defender and taught a class on drug policy at the University of California’s School of Law, before turning to a career in writing. Her published works include seven novels in the series Mommy-Track Mysteries, and the non-fiction Bad Mother (2009) – a collection of personal essays about her experience as an imperfect mother.
Table of Contents
A Really Good Day
summarized in 8 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 8
The author always struggled with her mood, irritability and shame, but had never found an effective treatment.
Ayelet Waldman had been at the mercy of her moods for decades. On a good day, she could be sparkling company – cheerful, friendly, affectionate and productive. But on a bad day, Waldman was worn down by self-hatred, guilt and shame. She’d start arguments with her husband, feel overwhelmed by pessimism and had little sense of self-worth, despite being a successful, published author. Her erratic moods have always made her life, and the lives of her friends and family, more difficult.
Seeking help, she turned to therapy, spending many hours sitting on the leather couches of professionals – from Freudians to cognitive behavioral experts, social workers to family therapists. She tried mindfulness – spending long periods meditating and even longer telling her therapist how much she hated meditating.
One day, crossing a bridge while driving home, she found herself considering steering to the right and hurtling into the water below. Shocked at this suicidal thought, she sought medical help. Diagnosed with a form of depression – bipolar II disorder – she started taking drugs. For years, Waldman tried numerous medications: Celexa, Prozac, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Effexor, Lamictal, Adderall, Ritalin and many more. Some helped a little, for days or even months at a time. But they had unfortunate side effects, such as weight gain, irritability and a decreased interest in sex.
Eventually, she discovered her diagnosis hadn’t even been correct. She realized her moods were fluctuating in direct correlation to her menstrual cycle, and that she had a type of premenstrual syndrome – called premenstrual dysphoric disorder – that caused mood swings at certain points in her cycle.
This discovery allowed her to learn the cycle and timing of her moods and take medication only when necessary. But when Waldman entered the perimenopause, her period became irregular, and so did her mood. Things took a turn for the worse, and she became exhausted with fury, irritation and despair.
It was at this point that she happened upon the work of James Fadiman, a psychologist and former psychedelic researcher. Fadiman was popularizing the microdosing of LSD – people taking tiny doses of LSD to treat mood problems were reporting that they’d enjoyed a really good day. And a really good day was all the author had ever wanted.
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Best quote from A Really Good Day
I took the drug, and went on to have a really good day.
—Ayelet Waldman
Who should read A Really Good Day
- People interested in new ways to treat depression and mood-disorder
- Readers skeptical about traditional medication for depression
- Those interested in drug policy and legalization
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