I got this book on a whim. I think it was in a Bookbub e-mail one day that I spotted it and as I've been struggling with anxiety for as long as I can remember, that title grabbed my attention. I have to admit I was quite skeptical and didn't quite believe this book would have information I didn't already know, but it was only 99 cents and in the end my curiosity won out and I figured even if the book only had a few pieces of new information it would already be worth it.
Be Calm is a practical self help book for everyone who struggles with anxiety, fears or worries at times. It has lots of advice and techniques you can easily implement yourself. I enjoyed reading this book and it had quite some techniques I hadn't heard of before. Ofcourse there were also some techniques I already knew or was aware of, but that's okay and I had expected that as I already know quite a bit about the topic. It still surprised me how many new things I learned from this book, there were some really eye opening pieces of information that made me see my anxiety in a different light. And the whole book was written in a really motivational style that made it pleasant to read.
The writing style really fit this book. It had that no pressure, helpful type of style and it was written in a very motivational way. It made me believe I could do this and that these techniques would help, which I think is quite the accomplishment as the right mind set can be so important for things like this. It also helps that the author clearly knows a lot about this topic and has seen these techniques actually helping people. That proof underneath all the techniques only underlines the fact that these things work. I also liked that while there are a lot of different techniques in the book, the author also makes it clear that not every technique might work for everyone and that it's okay to just start with some and find out what works for you. There was also some helpful advice on how to track these techniques and persist with them.
Overall I think the book did a good job outlining the different techniques and how to implement them. The author also addresses this theory framework where thoughts, feelings and behavior all influence anxiety and you can start on one aspect or all three of them. The techniques in the book are listed per each of those three topics. There is also some basic information about how anxiety works and some additional tips for addition ways to help with your anxiety of the techniques don't work enough, like therapy or even medication.
I would've liked a short summary or list at the end with all the different techniques as now you have to scroll back to re-read each part when you want to implement something. I also thought the part about meditation and mindfulness was a bit limited, but I think that as that's such a big topic it would be handy to just buy a separate book for that topic if you want to know more about that.
To summarize: I would definitely recommend this book for those who have anxiety whether often or only sometimes. This book is filled with techniques that can help you deal better with your anxiety. I really liked the tone and motivation style of the book. The author lists a lot of techniques, but there is no pressure to do them all and the motivational and encouraging style makes you feel like you can do this. While there were some techniques I already knew of, there were still plenty of new things I learned from this book and some parts that really helped me. I would've liked to see a short summary of all the different techniques at the end for easy overview and I think for some topics like meditation it would be helpful to read more about it to know more about the topic as the information here is a bit limited. All in all I think this is a good starting point for anyone who has anxiety and wants to know some ways to better manage their anxiety.
- Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account
