I’m a therapist at a psychiatric hospital. I work with people who have anxiety. With your help, I received confirmation that I’m on the right track, that what’s important in the end is what kind of person you are and, above all, that you are a compassionate human being. You can be an inspiration, a role model, a beacon of hope to so many. No one can carry our burdens instead of us and no one can document the stories our lives dictate. Speaking out helps. Finally, those who others think are invulnerable can break our silence. The right people will understand. You caressed my soul. Thank you for that. I recommend your book to all wounded souls and to those who have long since forgotten that they even have one.

You have truly made me very happy with your book and your kind dedication to my friend who struggles with anxiety. You are a lovely human being whose book A Cup of Life will guide many down the right path. The second copy of the book is intended for me. I’m also constantly learning about this subject, as I’m a surgical nurse at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana who encounters anxiety, panic attacks, etc. in very young patients, their numbers only growing since the outbreak of Covid-19. I wish you loads of health.

I almost drank your cup in one swig. At least as fast as raising three children would permit. Who would understand this more than you? My mom gave me the book after I watched your interview on the Zvezdana talk show. I was so excited, surprised, reassured that someone was experiencing something so similar to me. I felt like someone had finally fully understood me. Dear Tatjana, with all due respect, I would like to thank you for your courage, which you also mention in your book. It is impossible to express in words the gratitude I feel for your full disclosure in your autobiography. What a person with experience can give to someone else who is facing similar challenges and lessons is worth much more than therapy sessions or any healer without personal experience can ever provide. I truly hope you’re aware of how much hope you have instilled in us by sharing your story.

Tatjana, please allow me to say this: “Thank you, and congratulations from the bottom of my heart.” You have broadened my horizons. My husband is battling this disorder, and until we watched the Zvezdana talk show, we didn’t know anything about it. That’s why we’re both so grateful for your revelations. I can say it was like reading an identical story. That is why your book is so close to my heart. I too stand by my husband, just as your husband stood by you. Now he has taken the reins into his own hands, confronted the problem head-on, and is consciously fixing it. Meditation helps. It’s not easy, but it’s only now that I can clearly see and feel your massage about what goes on in the soul. I’m really grateful to you for helping so many people with this book and your TV interview. You’ve certainly helped us!

I actually borrowed your book out of pure curiosity, even though as a fairly rational being I tend to reject self-help books. I’m not a very consistent reader, so I admit that I skipped certain parts while reading that didn’t move me that much. Over 10 years ago, a co-worker was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. We were uninformed and didn’t know what she was dealing with at the time, even though she tried her best to explain her feelings. What was happening was simply too strange, too unusual for us to grasp. We supported her, but it’s only now that I realise the magnitude of her hardships. Yesterday, after finishing your book, I texted her and gave her a big virtual hug. She confided in me that she was still afraid of the disorder repeating itself. Your story broadened my horizons and taught me how to accept and better understand my fellow humans. Thanks for that. Opening up to strangers is an incredibly brave thing to do and you did it amazingly.

Dear Ms Tatjana, I won’t beat around the bush. I’m a bookworm, I’m used to reading four books at a time, and I have to say your book intrigued me. It is written in an understandable, simple language, mastered only by someone who writes from experience. A “heart-to-heart” type of book. Congrats! You really are a warrior. I admire people like you. I myself have a turbulent life in certain respects, but I never give up. I found myself in your book and now I’ve recommended it to a colleague who is going through a severe ordeal.

I am writing to thank you and to praise you for your book. I bought it last week and have already finished it. It’s wonderful book that lifted my spirits and calmed my nerves. It instilled hope. It’s a book everyone should have on their bookshelf and is meant to be read more than once. I have to admit, it’s not in my habit to write to an author. This time I said to myself, Tanja, you have to thank her. Anxiety has been my “faithful companion” for many years, and there are times when we’re too close. I’ve also have visited therapists, researched the condition, and invested in myself in different ways over the years. Thank you sincerely and I wish you all the best on your journey.

Dear Tatjana, I would just like to tell you that I’ve read your book. Well, devoured it, to be precise. 😊 At times, it made me laugh and often made me cry, despite the fact I’m not the type to shed tears easily. I saw myself in numerous situations you describe, e.g., that the condition tends to deteriorate drastically when one is on holiday. As far as I’m concerned, your book is a true masterpiece. You described all aspects of this disease so beautifully. I see it as a manual. I have made a lot of notes in the meantime and I also know that I will read it again someday. In short, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your contribution to a better understanding of anxiety, and I know that because of you I’m now one step closer to recovery.

Thank you, Tatjana, from the bottom of my heart. Your book inspired me. I have to keep reading your words. It’s like drinking them. Because of you I too now write in peace and quiet, occasionally glancing at your wolf. My beast still wears a sad smile, yet still I write, breathe, live, with 300 ideas per minute. Thank you!

I “swallowed” your book in one big gulp and stared at your picture of the wolf with deep admiration. I understand, as I’ve also had my fair share of bites in life. I know the wolf is still coming, but its strength is waning and its teeth are falling out. Thank you for your courage to reveal yourself to us with such a beautiful story and illustrations.

Thank you for your courage and determination to speak publicly about the disease of modern times that so many people struggle with. It is the greatest medicine for all of us who are still searching for the path to salvation. I also encountered a similar problem after giving birth to my second child. It is difficult because no one understands you. Everyone says it’s nothing serious, look at how good you look, etc. And that just wrecks you. Know that there are a lot of us out there going through what you’ve written about. Thank you again and good luck going forward.

Dear Tatjana, I got your book under the Christmas tree. I read it in two days. Thank you so much. A wonderful gift. Congratulations for the courage to go on the Zvezdana show. By doing so you have reached many wandering hearts looking for answers.

I watched the Zvezdana talk show because I’d gone through a similar ordeal, just like you describe. I’m really glad you dared to speak so sincerely about this “taboo” topic. I also read your book, of course. What can I say, I’m fascinated and grateful that you’ve written it. It helped me revisit the most exhausting yet the most interesting period of my life. Sometimes I had a feeling that all this wasn’t happening to me, that I was just dreaming. I even contemplated suicide. But with your book, I found that it was all true, that there was a big battle raging within me and the rest of the world. And I won. Thank you for that!