Tag: #SelfHelp

#Review By Lou of From Bucket List to Best Self by Shane O’Brien @ZooloosBT #ShaneOBrien #Bucketlist #BlogTour #BestSelf #BestLife #Selfhelp #Journey #Travel #NonFiction

From Bucket List to Best Self
By Shane O’Brien

Review written by Louise Cannon

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I like a bucket list. I’ve been creating a bucket list before I even knew that’s what it was called from the age of 15, some 20 odd years ago. The list, which used to be 3 lists, have contained the impossible, one which I had potential opportunity of and now kicking myself as will never have it again, I don’t think and some the seemingly impossible, but somehow has miraculously happened and some the achievable or the maybe one day I’ll get there. It’s evolved over the years as some things have been ticked off, some revisited as opportunity as risen and some just knocked off and replaced with something else.
So, a book about bucket lists was up my street, although is quite different from what I was expecting, but it’s still a good book and such a worthwhile read. The fun thing is everyone’s list is different and this is a type of list that I wouldn’t think of at all.

 

Blurb

From Bucket List to Best Self

Happiness, fulfilment and contentment are not a destination, they’re a journey.

Age has no relevance in this book, except for the fact that I personally completed my original bucket list before the age of thirty.

I am not some hot-shot world adventurer who has travelled to over forty countries. I am a person who knows what he enjoys. I am not an influencer who takes photos for Instagram, but someone who wants to look back on his memories when he’s old and grey.

I conquered some fears, gained self-confidence and learned to rely on myself. I discovered how to accept adversity and overcome it. I travelled the world and had some amazing times.

It’s not about focusing on the end goal but enjoying the personal journey.

The bucket list never ends.

It doesn’t matter when you start, only that you have started it; and that you’re fully intentional about your personal journey.

Review

Bucket List to Best Self isn’t quite like your, perhaps more traditional bucket lists of where you want to visit, what you want to see and experience, perhaps, who you’d like to meet, what you’d like to eat that isn’t in your everyday consumption. This is about self-improvement, but not in some blaze way, although he is within the psychology profession, but that just adds interest.
It, interestingly pulls you into really concentrating on Maslow’s theory, which was interesting, perhaps because I studied this as part of a wider course that wasn’t psychology as a whole, but even so, he talks about self-actualisation, really getting to know yourself. Self-actualisation is at the top of a triangle, illustrated in the book, with basic needs at the base of the triangle. It covers everything a human-being needs to survive and thrive. The triangle and the way the book seems to centre around it does sharpen your senses and makes you focus on you for a bit to see if you’re needs are being met in each segment that’s mentioned.

What excited me was a part about resisting conformity. I just love this, perhaps because I’ve been doing this all my life, from such a young age, resisting total conformity and choosing not to be a “sheep” as the saying goes, not that I am totally perfect at this.

The other interesting part tackles, rather bravely, one of life’s biggest questions, about “life purpose”, such a big topic, which is looked at a bit, as well as creating a focus on the journey, not the goal, which flips things on its head a bit as possibly lots of people focus on the goal.

It covers some adventure as well as the what you need to know about creating a bucket list and for self-improvement, also mentioning finances for the places you may like to visit too.

There are sections in the book where you can write things down that have pointers to create focus and the sorts of values and things you may like to achieve. It’s a very well laid out book.

All in all, it’s a fascinating book and is a very different take on the bucket list. One which people may find some useful life hacks from and more…

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/bucketlistbestself-zbt

About the Author

Shane O’Brien is four-time All-Ireland champion in two different sports, has a Masters in psychology, ten years experience in youth work. He is a property investor, entrepreneur, and avid traveller. He has been to nearly forty counties before the age of thirty. From Bucket List to Best Self is a captivating exploration of personal growth drawing on Shane’s academic background in psychology and his diverse life experiences. Through a blend of research, personal anecdotes, and travel adventures, Shane offers readers a fresh and inspiring take on how to transform their lives and achieve their full potential.

Shane’s ability to seamlessly weave together his academic knowledge with real-world experiences sets From Bucket List to Best Self apart as a truly unique and valuable contribution to the self-help genre. His passion for personal development and his engaging writing style makes this book a must-read for anyone seeking to embark on a journey of self-discovery and growth.

Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shane.obrien

Website: https://shaneobrienbooks.com/

#Review By Lou of The Older I Get – How I Repowered My Life by Fern Britton @Fern_Britton @EburyPublishing @penguinrandom #Memoir #SelfHelp #TheOlderIGet #Repowering

The Older I Get
How I Repowered My Life
By Fern Britton

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review written by Louise Cannon (Lou)

We all age, for most people it’s a fact of life. Fern Britton, known for presenting Ready Steady Cook, This Morning, reboot of Watercolour Challenge, My Cornwall, writing novels and more… has lived through a lot of life’s ups and downs and survived. Now, she’s written a non-fiction book that’s not quite a traditional self-help book, more a gentle, wise, guide to the changing phase in life, with lived experiences that has a very human, relatable touch. She is in a stage of repowering her life and shows that anyone can do this in their lives too.

 

Blurb

Fern had recently entered her 60s when a series of life-altering events threw her into the eye of the storm. Both her parents passed away, her 20-year marriage ended, and the pandemic was looming.

Faced with an uncertain future, Fern decided that if she wanted to start over, now was the time. She moved to Cornwall, where she reconnected with her true self and instead of fearing getting older, she chose to create a glorious new life full of friendship, fun and adventure.

Fern explores the joy and challenges of aging with warmth and humour. She reflects back on all she has learnt, from enduring tough times to embracing new opportunities and learning how to be kinder to herself. This wasn’t a moment of empowerment, for that would suggest she never had any power to begin with. As women, we often put our needs aside, and she feels strongly that it’s time for us to repower and rediscover our happiness.

In The Older I Get, join Fern as she candidly shares her experiences of grief and loss, rebuilding confidence and exploring new passions, as well as the importance of finding friends you can put the world to rights with over a couple of Cosmos.

Review

We all just keep getting older and life changes for everyone, whether you’ve had children or not. Stuff happens! As Fern Britton says, in an aptly named chapter, When the Sh*t Hits the Fan”. She’s been through bereavement, divorce, kids flying the nest, moving house, forging a different part of life. It seems to me like she’s been there and lived it all. We all go through a lot, as she acknowledges, but she shows not everything has to be doom and gloom. She has chosen to repower her life, embrace new and old friendships and has a new place to live.

I like that term, repower. I’ve never heard of it before. Just that word is inspiring, re-energising. I’ve a lot of “get up and go”, but this gives me even more energy in my heart and soul to keep going, no matter what. Keep trying things out, doing things, meeting people, some I know lots about, some I don’t know so well. That word, repower spurs me onwards, some how, even though I am tired as I write this review, after a long, challenging week.

This book harnesses so much honesty and realistic positivity about growing older. Fern Britton doesn’t hide behind a facade, and I love it! What Fern Britton and this book embodies is how she is truly living life and is blooming all over again with her repowering of her positive energies. She explains clearly, in down to earth terms what this actually means, and the perks getting older brings.

The book feels like Fern Britton has taken your hand and said that one way or another, through all the ups and downs of life, ultimately, you’ll be okay.
She bravely writes about mistakes, imposter syndrome and confidence. What she writes is relatable and human. She doesn’t hide behind a facade.
She talks about taking care of yourself (I’ll admit to being a must get better at that part in life). Here she uses another new term, “selfist”, which is an interesting concept and one I hadn’t heard of before. Maybe it’ll make people feel a bit better when they’re taking time out for themselves. I may try thinking about it like that. I like bits about lists. I’ve had lists since I was a teen of places to visit and people I’d like to meet or meet again, some way or another. I’m not in for manifesting, but some of the more seemingly impossible things have happened, like the people I’ve met and now I’m hoping that will somehow happen again.
There are sections about making new friends and living in new places and discovering something different about yourself and your surroundings and the people you meet. 

It’s an easy book to read, digest and follow in that it isn’t full of jargon. It feels like it comes from the heart with everything flowing out in a way that makes sense.
Helpfully, there are bullet points at the end of chapters that summarise what has just been read.

I am possibly not the exact target audience for this book, but in a way, being in my 40’s and also been through a lot, perhaps I am. It’s that next stage in life that isn’t too far into the distant future. There are many concepts that can be used for all of life, whether you’re a person at a similar age and stage of life as Fern’s or not. I felt the book is relatable to anyone, some parts naturally more so than others, but it’s nonetheless fascinating, practical and positive.

If you’re contemplating in reading any book in this genre, this is a brilliant one to get into. I can see that word “Repowering” becoming a bit of a trend. It has energy and heart and spirit lifting properties. As we look closer to a new year, this may be the book which helps to gradually change things for the better.

 

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Discover retailers who stock in this Link: Penguin

#Inteview By Lou with JB Ghuman @jbGhumanJr on Short #Film #PassivePower Soon to be screened at @ASFFest #FilmFestival in the #UK @Tom_Brumpton_PR

Interview with JB Ghuman on short film, Passive Power
coming soon to Aesthetical Film Festival
Conducted by Louise Cannon (Lou)

This is a rather different sort of interview for Bookmarks and Stages, but nonetheless interesting, mixing positive messages with music and having success in a film for Netflix a few years ago, find more about that in the interview. At the end of the interview is a link to a short trailer for PaSSive PoWers.
The music film “paSSive poWers.” By JB Guhman is set to screen at the Aesthetica Film Festival in the UK in November following a successful screening at Awareness Film Festival in LA.
Ghuman is best known for writing/directing the feature film “SPORK” (#1 on Netflix, HBO Award, Tribeca Audience award, BFI London Sutherland Trophy nominee), “The ART oF BEiNG” an experimental feature which premiered as the centrepiece in SUNDANCE & “The CROWN With a SHADOW” an animated film that starred the late great Paul Reubens (Pee Wee, his last work) & Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls).
Here’s a quick synopsis and then we will go into the interview with JB Ghuman.

Synopsis

A sonic visual 8K 3D 360 VR collaborative experience aimed at putting focus on the more subtle energies of human coexistence otherwise deemed as meekness. Or as filmmaker / artist JB Ghuman JR has dubbed them, the “paSSive poWers.” Combining breathing / chanting / sensory & cerebral exploration into an immersive cinematic experience. Shot on the incredible 11K Insta360 TITAN Camera.

Passive Power 3Speaking about the film, JB has said:

“In a world of surface based “selves”, I just wanted to make something that focused on what’s beneath it.”


Welcome JB. Ghuman to Bookmarks and Stages…

  1. Why do you think the Self-Help market continues to grow and is so huge?

Oh gosh… I’m not sure to be honest. As an artist / storyteller, I tend to just emote from my own personal place but I’d image the human “existence” is simply a bit similar, so… everyone is just looking for a deeper understanding in general, I’d imagine.

  1. What exactly are “paSSive poWers” and what research and/or prior experience/knowledge did you have to create this?

“paSSive poWers” are those forms of “efforts” we each make within ourselves that otherwise tend to come across as meek yet when in action, takes a lot of strength to actually do. Forgiveness, Compassion, Inward perception & so many more. Sounds fluffy and sweet on paper but in practical life… it’s super hard. For all of us. Esp in the face of other humans who can act otherwise. Argo: it takes a lot of power to be passive. For me at least. Given all research is merely an expression of my own journey while observing others along my way.

  1. You’ve done film, breakdancing, writing. What makes you tick and want to continue down this creative path?

I suppose curiosity. I’ve always been a bit possessed with observation. I guess maybe from there I tend to find new ways to just emote & express. I’ve been writing poems since a toddler. Not that they were any good but… a’dunno. It’s always sort just been my way existing for as long as I can remember, to be honest.

  1. What inspired you to create a video that hits upon the types of words, phrases and actions of the more “traditional” self-help materials that are out there and turn it into something with a more upbeat, eclectic trance sound?

Ha… “traditional self-help” lol. I grew up since my early youth using movement as a form of silent expression. Breakdancing was the start though today it’s kinda morphed into my own personal form of expression of movement. A yank here, a swing there, a vibration made… as long as I’m in sync with the rhythm, then it just feels good. That “feels good” place in my mind is equally an awesome place to think, ponder and rationalize. So, figured I’d curate this film and share such an approach.

  1. Your creation for the video is quite ghostly like, what was the intention behind this?

Unsure to be honest. I’ve always had my own connection to personal “inner space” in sort of ethereal yet haunting way… maybe it reflects out into my work.

  1. You’re bringing “paSSive poWer VR” here to the UK. Where can people see your show and what do you hope audiences will get out of it by the end of it?

Yes, and I’m suuuuper stoked!! My film will be on display for any to jump in and experience from Nov. 6th thru Nov. 10th at The Lab within the Hospitium Museum Gardens. More info can be found at www.ASFF.CO.UK / search paSSive poWer.

  1. One final question… You’ve had work featured on streaming giants, such as Netflix, so people may be familiar with your work. What was that like in-terms of knowing so many people had the opportunity to watch your creation?

Aw, it has felt and still feels… amazing! Like, all ego aside it’s an incredible feeling hearing from random people how this or that made them feel inspired, seen, etc. This lil’rock called Earth we all share has given me so much joy, countless inspiring works and revealed so many beautiful artists to share space with. It’s a nothing but gratitude when I get to give even a thimble back in return.

The trailer for the film can be found here.

#Review By Lou of The 7 Secrets of Happiness By Gyles Brandreth @GylesB1 @Octopus_Books

The 7 Secrets of Happiness
By Gyles Brandreth

Review By Louise Cannon (Lou)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I was fortunate to attend the talk Gyles Brandreth gave on The 7 Secrets of Happiness – An Optimist’s Journey in Edinburgh in the summer and what a greatly inspiring talk it was and delivered with such passion and gusto, so I bought the book and thought I’d review it below.
Gyles Brandreth is known for his jumpers, being a former MP, currently an author and is on segments of This Morning and Gogglebox. He also has a tours of Can’t Stop Talking, In Conversation with Judi Dench and book tours, which he brought all of to Edinburgh between 2023/2024. You can also play his word game – Rainbow. 
Links are below so you too can have an opportunity to see his shows and purchase The 7 Secrets of Happiness (please note I am not affiliated to any link).
First, let’s take a look at the blurb, before my review.

Blurb

ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THE 7 SECRETS OF HAPPINESS

Ten years on, Gyles Brandreth has learnt yet more about happiness… featuring a new introduction and charming illustrations, this little book attempts to answer a big question: How can we be happy?

‘Marvellous, brilliant, wonderful, best thing I’ve ever heard, transformational…’

That was the response from a total stranger when Gyles Brandreth delivered the Happiness Lecture at Birmingham University. Someone else in the thousand-strong audience tweeted: ‘The 7 Secrets of Happiness are amazing. Thank you Gyles Brandreth, wherever you are.’

Well, Gyles Brandreth is here now with those 7 Secrets of Happiness. The secrets are simple rules, easy to remember, but challenging to achieve. Gyles Brandreth found them when he set out on a journey looking for happiness and ended up in the psychiatrist’s chair – with Dr Anthony Clare.

What is happiness? Who gets to be happy? And how?

These are the big questions that Gyles Brandreth aims to answer in this little book. Research shows that happy people live up to ten years longer than unhappy people. This is a book that won’t simply enhance your life: it will extend it.

Review

Gyles Brandreth seems to be one of life’s great optimists with plenty of opportunities that have come his way, but not all were successful and yet he appears to be a rather contented man. This book is inspiring and full of realistic pointers that every single person can latch onto and follow because happiness, as he realised after a sad event, is something to be taken seriously. There’s also plenty of humour along the way.
The book is far from airy-fairy, it’s grounded and full of wisdom through experiences and what he says makes a lot of sense.  Everyone can place what it says in this book into their own lives, no matter what your background or social class and it is the wise sensibilities and accessibility that is a big part of the beauty of it as well as acknowledging life isn’t easy. He acknowledged it being a bit easier with money, but even he ended up in the psychiatrist’s chair at one point in his life and what comes out of the conversation is fascinating and answers some of life’s important questions.
It’s well-constructed with short chapters and small illustrations to make you smile or think. It’s a thought-provoking book on many levels and has elements that entertain in a way that only Gyles Brandreth can.

The book goes beyond just pointers. It gives interesting histories into psychology and sociology and how it all relates to today’s thinking and imparting of information that then can be used to inform our lives. It’s a very well-researched and considered book that doesn’t just focus on Gyles Brandreth’s own life and experiences of happiness, but that of other people’s and the research that’s been done prior by others in the field of mental health and wellbeing. It’s also fun, but true what he also says about laughter, family, friends, chocolate, forming a passion and being connected to yourself and others. I also feel I want to visit the teddy-bear museum that’s mentioned in the book. The book has fascinating snippets like this in it too.  

By the end of the book, you feel, not just a glow of warmth and happiness, but a feeling of increased knowledge that may assist in this enduring throughout all of life, not a “flash in the pan” feeling of a sudden high, only to be hit with a low, but something that’s realistic that can be used for a whole lifespan to seek and feel a lasting contentment.

Links

                           Amazon        Waterstones          Tour Details 

                                                 Full Rainbow

#BookReview By Lou of If You Should Fail By Joe Moran @joemoransblog @VikingBooksUK #NonFiction #SelfHelp #Philosophy

If You Should Fail
By Joe Moran

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

If You Should Fail is a non-fiction book that is certainly informative and interesting. Find out more in the blurb and then my review. I also thank Viking/Penguin UK for gifting the book in exchange of an honest review.

Blurb

There is an honesty and a clarity in Joe Moran’s book If You Should Fail that normalises and softens the usual blows of life that enables us to accept and live with them rather than be diminished/wounded by them’ Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works and This Too Shall Pass

‘Full of wise insight and honesty. Moran manages to be funny, erudite and kindly: a rare – and compelling – combination. This is the essential antidote to a culture obsessed with success. Read it’ Madeleine Bunting

Failure is the small print in life’s terms and conditions.

Covering everything from examination dreams to fourth-placed Olympians, If You Should Fail is about how modern life, in a world of self-advertised success, makes us feel like failures, frauds and imposters. Widely acclaimed observer of daily life Joe Moran is here not to tell you that everything will be all right in the end, but to reassure you that failure is an occupational hazard of being human. 

As Moran shows, even the supremely gifted Leonardo da Vinci could be seen as a failure. Most artists, writers, sports stars and business people face failure. We all will, and can learn how to live with it. To echo Virginia Woolf, beauty “is only got by the failure to get it . . . by facing what must be humiliation – the things one can’t do.”

Combining philosophy, psychology, history and literature, Moran’s ultimately upbeat reflections on being human, and his critique of how we live now, offers comfort, hope – and solace. For we need to see that not every failure can be made into a success – and that’s OK.

Review

Life is measured on success and failure, sometimes a long, seemingly fixed perception that is wide-spread in society, and sometimes a more personal perception. Joe Moran talks about the culture of success and now people are told that if they fail to try and try again and how fails become success. He talks more of the reality of this theory in quite a philosophical way. He also uses case studies and quotes from people from many different walks of life to illustrate the points he makes as he tries to change people’s perceptions on failure within the arguments he presents. There are mentions of well-known psychologists like Freud, literary people like Virginia Woolf, olympians and more…

It’s an interesting, philosophical book with something quite realistic, that may have readers examine their own lives in terms of failures and successes and how they perceive them and how society perceives them. It doesn’t try and set unachievable  expectations or goals.
I wasn’t as enthralled as I thought I might have been, even though it is at times, a deeply thought-provoking book, but don’t totally discount it as there are some interesting ideas and observations at how society is. There is a reality that most people at some point will relate to and may find useful. It is a book, perhaps best taking time to ponder over as you read and to reflect and think about what is being said in its well-researched weaving of historical and current time on the subject of failure and society.

A #GuestPost – Article – 7 Books to Help You Manage or Conquer Your Anxiety By Dr. Harshi Dhingra #DrHarshiDhingra #Books #ConquerAnxiety #ManagingAnxiety #NonFiction #MentalHealth #SelfHelp

7 Books to Help You Manage or Conquer Your Anxiety

Today I am delighted to host a guest post. I introduce you to Dr. Harshi Dhingra who is an Associate Professor in Pathology at Adesha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda. Dr. Harshi Dhingra has written a fabulously informative article that includes 7 practical and informative books to help you manage or conquer your anxiety, including blurbs, of what are considered the 7 best books. They are all are non-fiction and are by authors who are experts in their field. There are also various highly useful links that will also support you and enhance your knowledge throughout the article. The article then concludes with the sources used.
I will now hand you over to Dr. Harshi Dhingra, who I also thank for getting in touch via my Contact page and for working on this.

We’ve all been there – racing thoughts, quickening breath, difficulty focusing, and feelings of dread or fear. Too often, though, these anxiety symptoms can control your quality of life. It can also go beyond just feeling anxious and into a full-blown anxiety disorder and addiction.

In the U.S. alone, approximately 18% of all adults suffer from some form of anxiety. Worldwide, over 200 million people grapple with anxiety disorders on a daily basis.

All too often, anxiety and substance abuse or addiction can go hand in hand, one leading to the other in many cases. So, getting a handle on your anxiety improves your chance of a successful recovery or from traveling down that road of substance abuse and addiction altogether.

It only makes sense then that the more tools you have to counteract the anxiety, the better. Today there are books out there that can help you manage your anxiety or conquer it all together, and here are seven of the best to get you started.

1. Hope and Help for Your Nerves: End Anxiety Now by Dr. Claire Weekes

To guide you on your anxiety journey, Dr. Claire Weeks has created a step-by-step tool for helping you understand where your anxiety is coming from and how to conquer it for good. One of the keys is getting a handle on those overwhelming intrusive thoughts that are often at the core of your fears and doubts. A pioneer in the treatment of anxiety, Dr. Weekes presents successful results from her years of experience, adding to her credibility and this book’s valuable messages.

2. I Want to Change My Life: How to Overcome Anxiety, Depression and Addiction by Steven M. Melemis, MD, Ph.D.

If you’re looking for ways to overcome not just anxiety but also depression or addiction, the five-point plan in this book is a valuable tool. Combining information on symptoms, treatments, and prevention strategies, this book goes one step further and provides ways to learn new coping skills. The included one-month program that helps you get started, focusing on a timeline and exercises.

3. Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks by Barry McDonagh

Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks
If you prefer learning from someone who has been where you are, Barry McDonagh’s unique book Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks is for you. After suffering with anxiety and panic attacks himself, McDonagh found a way to overcome them and, as a result, devised the DARE technique. His approach is one of challenging your fears instead of dealing with them or managing them. The book is written in straightforward, relatable language and provides step-by-step methods to get you started. In addition, along with the book, you receive access to a free app, a kind of on-the-go anxiety relief tool.

4. Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear & Worry by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT

Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry


Overthinking and constant worry can get you in trouble. They can overtake your life to the point you’re unable to make decisions or enjoy life at all. The aim of this particular book is to teach you how to deescalate anxious thoughts and stop feeding the monkey mind with negativity. The author is a psychotherapist with 30-plus years of experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and the treatment of anxiety. Her writing is as entertaining as it is helpful, and she includes illustrations and mindfulness techniques as additional aids.


5. Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal the Mind by Judson Brewer, MD, Ph.D.

WORKBOOK FOR UNWINDING ANXIETY BY JUDSON BREWER: NEW SCIENCE SHOWS HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLES OF WORRY AND FEAR TO HEAL YOUR ...

Don’t let the word “science” in the title of this book or the fact that it’s written by a neuroscientist intimidate you. With 20 years of research under his belt, the author easily breaks down all he has learned into a practical format to help you understand your brain. Where this book excels is in its step-by-step plan to help you break bad habits and escape the cycle of fear and worry that is leading to your anxiety and addictive behavior.

6. The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D.

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook


For those who learn better with a textbook or workbook type-format, this classic has been around for over 30 years with continual updating. The author discusses anxiety disorder origins and points to holistic approaches to help you recover and better care for yourself. Included inside are sections on relaxation, breathing strategies, mindfulness, nutrition, and exercise tips. This workbook also includes guidelines for treating additional mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

7. Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now by Jill Weber, Ph.D.

Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now by [Jill Weber PhD]


This handy book is a great resource to use as a quick reference guide. Its easy-to-use layout offers varying practical techniques for identifying and managing anxiety whenever it hits. You most likely won’t want to read this book all the way through in one sitting. Instead, become familiar with its contents, so you know where to go when panic attacks or anxiety are getting the better of you. One unique feature, however, is the “Go Deeper” prompts for therapeutic journaling.

Anxiety is no laughing matter, and the more you can do to help yourself, the better. Begin by looking for a book with actual effective techniques and relatable language and layout like those on this list.

Sources

health.harvard.edu – Managing intrusive thoughts

drugabuse.gov – Drug misuse and addiction

health.harvard.edu – Panic Disorders

ncbi.nih.gov – Cognitive behavioral therapy

newsinhealth.nih.gov – Breaking Bad Habits: Why It’s So Hard to Change

nimh.gov – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

urmc.rochester.edu – Journaling for Mental Health

sunshinebehavioralhealth.com – Mental Health Resources for Anxiety Disorder and Addiction