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The Little Book of Calm: Tame Your Anxieties, Face Your Fears, and Live Free
The Little Book of Calm has the magic formula for anxietyThis definitive book, written by a clinical psychotherapist, who regularly appears on CBBC and BBC Radio 1, offers techniques, advice and inspiration on the best and most effective ways to manage anxiety.From exercises to help you put your worries into perspective, to relaxation methods for when anxiety attacks, Dr Aaron Balick shows you how to feel more at ease and sustain a sense of calm
124 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2018
13 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 14, 2018
So easy to read and so inspiring. It is filled with valuable suggestions of how to reduce your stress, anxiety, and worry. Read it. Strongly recommended.
June 8, 2019
Small book with A LOT of excersises to calm yourself and fight anxiety. Some may work for you, some may not, but that's why there's so many!! Beautiful and simple book. :)
August 12, 2021
"If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present."
LAO TZU
LAO TZU
September 3, 2022
This is a really small book which is not worth your time. Basically a book which has ideas to stay calm which you'd heard somewhere or the other. Nothing new per se. Eventually the books keeps stating the same facts over and over again.
One star
But to its credit it does have one or two good bits to it too, but in an already thin book, the good parts are like a needle in a haystack on a moving lorry.
One star
But to its credit it does have one or two good bits to it too, but in an already thin book, the good parts are like a needle in a haystack on a moving lorry.
January 1, 2019
3.5 stars
This book contains various suggestions. Some might work and some not depending on the individual and the situation. Though it seems this suggestions are more helpful for mild or mundane problems not real serious situations.
This book contains various suggestions. Some might work and some not depending on the individual and the situation. Though it seems this suggestions are more helpful for mild or mundane problems not real serious situations.
February 6, 2022
My favorite quotes from this book:
1. What does not destroy me makes me stronger.
2. Close your eyes and imagine seeing youself from above like in Google Maps. Then zoom out and see youself getting smaller and smaller. See your home, then pan out slowly to your neighbourhood, and futher again to your town or city, your country, your hemisphere.
Go right off the planet now, past the moon, beyond the solar system, and shoot out into space until Earth is a tiny speck that soon disappears.
3. Don't try to solve the worries, justify or understand them. Just get them out of your mind and onto the paper. You don't even need to read them, so don't be shy.
4. Don't give up on trust. Trusting can be enormously liberating.
5. Exercise is the best medicine. It creates a healthy brain, lifts mood, and quells anxiety.
6. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
7. Take a long breath in through the nose. Hold it in just a couple of seconds, and then let it out through the mouth.
Breathe in relaxation, and breathe out stress.
8. Sometimes we forget to ask ourselves the simplest question "What do I need right now?"
9. The beginning is always today.
10. ''What is in my life that I can feel grateful about today?"
11. If you can't tiny up your mind first, start with your surroundings. Start with one room.
12. If you're able to make amends, make them. If you're able to get closue, try.
13. When conditions are right, it takes no effort to fly a kite. It flies itself. It's in a kite's nature to fly.
14. There are 26.1 miles to run before the end of a marathon.
There are many years of study before someone hands you a degree.
There is a lot to be written before you reach the last page of a book.
There's much experience to be gained before landing the perfect job.
When we get hung up on goals themselves we miss everything along the way.
15. When you confront a situation that you are unhappy with, you really have only three choices: change it, accept it, or get out of the way.
16. Make good choices about what your brain encouters. Choose quality. Choose slow mental food.
17. Pain is a part of life. Suffering doesn't have to be.
18. The only thing certain is nothing is certain.
19. Will Rogers: "Too many people spend money they earned...to buy things they don't want...to impress people that they don't like."
20. Walking meditation is like mindful pacing.
21. When you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way, even though it might seem silly, or wrong, you must try!
1. What does not destroy me makes me stronger.
2. Close your eyes and imagine seeing youself from above like in Google Maps. Then zoom out and see youself getting smaller and smaller. See your home, then pan out slowly to your neighbourhood, and futher again to your town or city, your country, your hemisphere.
Go right off the planet now, past the moon, beyond the solar system, and shoot out into space until Earth is a tiny speck that soon disappears.
3. Don't try to solve the worries, justify or understand them. Just get them out of your mind and onto the paper. You don't even need to read them, so don't be shy.
4. Don't give up on trust. Trusting can be enormously liberating.
5. Exercise is the best medicine. It creates a healthy brain, lifts mood, and quells anxiety.
6. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
7. Take a long breath in through the nose. Hold it in just a couple of seconds, and then let it out through the mouth.
Breathe in relaxation, and breathe out stress.
8. Sometimes we forget to ask ourselves the simplest question "What do I need right now?"
9. The beginning is always today.
10. ''What is in my life that I can feel grateful about today?"
11. If you can't tiny up your mind first, start with your surroundings. Start with one room.
12. If you're able to make amends, make them. If you're able to get closue, try.
13. When conditions are right, it takes no effort to fly a kite. It flies itself. It's in a kite's nature to fly.
14. There are 26.1 miles to run before the end of a marathon.
There are many years of study before someone hands you a degree.
There is a lot to be written before you reach the last page of a book.
There's much experience to be gained before landing the perfect job.
When we get hung up on goals themselves we miss everything along the way.
15. When you confront a situation that you are unhappy with, you really have only three choices: change it, accept it, or get out of the way.
16. Make good choices about what your brain encouters. Choose quality. Choose slow mental food.
17. Pain is a part of life. Suffering doesn't have to be.
18. The only thing certain is nothing is certain.
19. Will Rogers: "Too many people spend money they earned...to buy things they don't want...to impress people that they don't like."
20. Walking meditation is like mindful pacing.
21. When you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way, even though it might seem silly, or wrong, you must try!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2023
The book is a very short read which is written especially for people who have anxiety issues and take you through the tips cure of stress and make you calm.
Below are some highlights from the book-
1. What does not destroy me makes me stronger
2. He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears
3. I get up, I walk, I fall down. Meanwhile I keep dancing.
4. If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.
5. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
6. There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.
7. We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. The same is true with the mind.
8. Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.
Finding calm isn’t about doing nothing; it’s about what you pay attention to, how you focus, and gain control over your thoughts.
9. Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace.
When you confront a situation that you are unhappy with, you really have only three choices: change it, accept it, or get out of the way.
10. Pain is a part of life. Suffering doesn’t have to be!
Below are some highlights from the book-
1. What does not destroy me makes me stronger
2. He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears
3. I get up, I walk, I fall down. Meanwhile I keep dancing.
4. If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.
5. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
6. There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.
7. We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. The same is true with the mind.
8. Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.
Finding calm isn’t about doing nothing; it’s about what you pay attention to, how you focus, and gain control over your thoughts.
9. Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace.
When you confront a situation that you are unhappy with, you really have only three choices: change it, accept it, or get out of the way.
10. Pain is a part of life. Suffering doesn’t have to be!
August 26, 2019
A great read. I bought it because I was stressed out, and it simply does the job it’s supposed to do, help you relax and fight stress. I was captivated by the cover, the color, and the title. Just looking at the color of the book makes me calm. Of course, you cannot just read the book and magically heal yourself. You have to apply some of if not all of the tricks and techniques. Fighting stress requires both mental and physical techniques. Most of the tips in the book are mental, so there will be no physical effort on your part. There are also some easy physical techniques like swimming at night, listening to music, getting dirty and touching mud, and walking barefoot on grass. These are also helpful.
One thing I realized about fighting stress (and this is not strictly related to the topic of the book), relaxing activities are like charging your phones. You cannot just take a trip to the beach or vacation at an island or go hiking once and expect all your worries to go away. In addition to the mental effort, you have to do these physical activities on a regular basis. Each time you run out of your “relaxation reserve,” you need to do something to recharge.
(8.5/10 because it does its job, light, simple, beautifully designed, with great advice)
One thing I realized about fighting stress (and this is not strictly related to the topic of the book), relaxing activities are like charging your phones. You cannot just take a trip to the beach or vacation at an island or go hiking once and expect all your worries to go away. In addition to the mental effort, you have to do these physical activities on a regular basis. Each time you run out of your “relaxation reserve,” you need to do something to recharge.
(8.5/10 because it does its job, light, simple, beautifully designed, with great advice)
January 4, 2021
This was a fairly short book with many tips on how to calm your anxiety and fear. Because there are many different ideas given, there will be something for everyone. This book would work as a good starting point to try and relieve your stress, anxiety or worries. It doesn't go into much detail, just a short explaination of each tip and how they work which is good for people wanting to try new ways, but there may be further investigation needed on specific tips if you find something that works for you or you think might work.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It gave me lots to think about and because it is short and pretty quick to read, it would be worth re-reading to refresh my memory or to maybe try some of the tips that I didn't think would work for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It gave me lots to think about and because it is short and pretty quick to read, it would be worth re-reading to refresh my memory or to maybe try some of the tips that I didn't think would work for me.
May 9, 2019
Not the kind of story books i like to read or hear. But i think i will do more of this kind after this one. Instead of paying a lot of money to doctors or professionals and get their advice for 10 minutes, why not read their books. Everything it said I seem to have known. But i need it so repeatedly that I need to find another one when I am approaching to the end.
Thank you Balick for sharing the knowledge in such generous way.
Thank you Balick for sharing the knowledge in such generous way.
December 23, 2021
The way Aaron Balick visualize different psychological traits and moods was amazing, he characterized whats happening in our mind. I love all the experience of reading this book. I felt calm all the time, and for sure the book was so little and so practical.
January 3, 2019
I like this book, easy to understand ♡
June 9, 2019
This is something that has to be on your bedside table. Something that you read a little of everyday before going to bed. Very calming, very therapeutic.
September 5, 2020
A great little book of tips and tricks to help you stay calm in difficult situations.
May 3, 2021
I only enjoyed few pages from the book that were interesting to read. Other than that it was boring and repetitive
December 31, 2021
Easy to say hard to do
September 8, 2022
its really good read if you want to take control of your anxiety
October 13, 2022
Little reminder of many things ☺️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2023
كُتيب صغير جدًا يحتوي على نصائح.
على صغر حجمه تعبت اقنع نفسي تخلصه😅
على صغر حجمه تعبت اقنع نفسي تخلصه😅
June 3, 2023
It's describe my life
March 26, 2024
I read it while I am in a dark place emotionally. I found some helpful reminders.
April 24, 2024
[Ebook] Review forthcoming.
Read
April 15, 2025I don’t review non fiction*
A great little book filled with lots and lots of different techniques to help manage your anxiety and step out of your head and into the world.
A great little book filled with lots and lots of different techniques to help manage your anxiety and step out of your head and into the world.
November 6, 2025
There’s lots of great advice in here. Most of it sounds like fortune cookies... but joke’s on you, I like fortune cookies.
July 24, 2021
Quite simple and concise easy-read. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, as no size fits all, but there are some nuggets that could be helpful in times of anxious episodes. Take what you need, leave the rest, and enjoy :)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews