5 on Fridays - Five Books to Read to Ease Anxiety
Lately, one of the biggest ways I’ve used a coping mechanism like reading to learn more about ways our thinking can impact the brain. Specifically, how our thought patterns can improve our behavior and the way we think on a broader scale. Anxiety has been a battle for me for years. This year I’ve made huge strides in informing myself more about behavioral cognitive therapy, meditation, how sleep affects us and thinking patterns. I’ve used audio books from Audible to listen to while driving and also downloaded a few ebooks to read when I’m in need of a little break from daily tasks. Here are a list of what I’ve been reading lately:
Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder
This book was one I downloaded and listened to on drives and walks. It’s written by one of the founders of The Huffington Post. Arianna discusses some of life’s stresses, collective international data on how things like technology impacts our ability to be more mindful and ways to address health epidemics. If you are a fan of having data back up a book then I highly encourage taking a look a this book. It’s absolutely inspiring and I’ve already started implementing more techniques and mindfulness in my every day life.
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook 3nd Edition
I picked this workbook up last Fall and have enjoyed working through the assignments. It’s half text book and half therapy worksheets. It addresses how anxiety affects us, ways to spot triggers and identifying coping mechanisms.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Charles Duhigg, Mike Chamberlain
This was another downloaded audio book for myself. I listened to this one mostly on walks. It discusses how creating and implementing daily habit routines allow our minds to think more clearly and calmly. Habit routines are linked to creating mental clarity. This is a fantastic book and was very impressed by how the book draws sociological examples.
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
This is a spiritual based book discussing a woman’s journey being addicted to performance. I actually was in a bible study group and we discussed a new chapter every week. It was a really fun group and getting to process what we learned each week on our own time in a conversational setting was so rewarding. I would recommend this for any mother or woman who feels like life is too full right now. The book discusses how important being present is and how it impacts inner peace, joy and our perspectives in life.
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson, 20th Anniversary Edition
This is not a new book, but I felt like it was worth mentioning. The book is written in a conversation form and is a short read. Although small in stature this was an impactful book in my life when I first read it early high school. It’s written by an young man who was a student of an older gentleman who is now dying of ALS. The wisdom in each chapter is profound and meaningful.
What are some of your favorite books right now?
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The past six months of my life have been emotionally challenging. Postpartum combined with several joyful life changes left me feeling like I had new roles to step into and the pressure was high. Right before my husband and I had our baby we made the decision to start a new business. From the outside it looked like I had it together, but the next few months would unveil a completely different side of me that I wasn’t prepared to deal with.