The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People, Paperback

A revolutionary guide to friendship and self-care for those who feel alone

When it comes to adult friendships, we're woefully inept: We barely manage to show up for our own commitments, let alone maintain our relationships. What's more, we're living in an uncharted social landscape with new conventions on how to relate--one where actual phone calls are reserved for Mom (if anyone), "dropping in" is unheard-of, and "flaking out" is routine.

The Art of Showing Up offers a roadmap through this morass to true connection with your friends, your family, and yourself. Author Rachel Wilkerson Miller teaches that "showing up" means connecting with others in a way that makes them feel seen and supported. And that begins with showing up for yourself: recognizing your needs, understanding your physical and mental health, and practicing self-compassion. Only then can you better support other people; witness their joy, pain, and true selves; validate their experiences; and help ease their burden.

When "showing up" for others, it's not the grandest gesture that matters most--it's how close you come to meeting your loved ones where they really are.

Rachel Wilkerson Miller is the author of Dot Journaling--A Practical Guide and the deputy editor of VICE Life. Previously, she was a senior lifestyle editor at BuzzFeed for four years. Along with VICE and BuzzFeed, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, the Hairpin, and SELF, and she's been a guest on NPR, the Today show, and Good Morning America. She lives in Brooklyn.