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Date: 6/30/2021
WESTHAMPTON – Westhampton resident Maeve Ronan has released her new book to the public titled, “It’s the Awkwardness for Me: 3 Ways to Make Being a Teen Less Awkward.”
According to Ronan, the book is all about what to do when you feel awkward and when awkward moments happen. It is a sequel to a book she wrote earlier this year titled “It’s the Depression for Me: 3 Ways to Make Being a Teenager Suck Less.” The second book officially came out on June 30.
“I know a lot of teens nowadays are having a hard time with anxiety, and social anxiety especially,” said Ronan, who added that her new book has tips on what to do if you embarrass yourself, how to not think about embarrassment for days on end, and how to build up self-esteem and confidence.
“This is what I wish I had known when I was in middle school and high school,” said Ronan, when talking about the inspiration behind “It’s the Awkwardness for Me.”
The first book, “It’s the Depression for Me,” was more about getting out of a rut and getting excited for life again, according to Ronan. The second book is a continuation that aims to help readers with what they want to do with their life once they get out of that rut. The second book also has more tips that teenagers can use in their toolbox for their futures, according to Ronan.
“What do you do when you actually want to get out there … and meet new people, and try new things,” said Ronan. “How can you have the skills to get better at having confidence.”
To prepare for the June 30 book release, Ronan conducted a #ByeAwkward countdown challenge to “help teens gain confidence as they get excited about the book.” For that, Ronan sent out a tip from the book each day for two weeks leading up to its release. One tip, for example, encouraged teens to write in a journal about what has been going on in their head lately. The tip the next day would then be to share your thoughts to people you trust.
“The reason why this challenge is so important to me is because I’ve been sending out daily emails and daily videos that really brightens their day, or it feels like their oldest sister that they never had,” said Ronan. “I think with a lot of noise on social media, people are really appreciating something positive.”
When asked what she has learned the most while writing both books, Ronan said “just to start.” She said that people will never know how good they are at something until they try it themselves.
“You’re not going to know what you’re doing before you start, and it’s not going to be perfect,” added Ronan. “Whatever you want to do just go for it, and you might suck at it at first, but the more you do it and practice, the more you’ll get better.”
“It’s the Awkwardness for Me” is on Ronan’s website, https://www.maeveronan.com/store. It will also be available through Amazon.