The Ultimate Anxiety Toolkit: 25 Tools to Worry Less, Relax More, and Boost Your Self-Esteem

by Risa Williams, Jennifer Whitney (Illustrator), Amanda Way (Illustrator)

Anxiety can feel like a huge number of different things to a huge variety of people. No matter the experience, they all have one thing in common: feeling anxiety is never fun. If you're looking to manage your anxious feelings and reduce your stress, this is the book for you.

Written by a therapist who specializes in helping people navigate anxiety, the chapters contain 25 creative tools specifically designed to help reduce anxiety in five key areas: stress, social anxiety, anxious thoughts, self-esteem and the future.

The tools draw on CBT, mindfulness, narrative therapy, positive psychology and more, and every single one is focused on giving practical advice and simple steps that you can take today to reduce your anxiety and boost your self-esteem.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2021

About the author

Risa Williams is a LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely well timed, coming as it does on the heels of years of political upheaval and more than a year of pandemic quarantine. I have traditionally dealt with stress and anxiety by binge-eating and losing sleep and making disastrous emotional decisions, but Risa Williams has far better ideas. Several years ago, she demonstrated her insight into what makes people tick when she wrote "Cinescopes: What Your Favorite Movies Reveal About You". It was funny and fun to read but underneath, there was a keen perception about people and the book was a gem. Since then Williams has honed her skills, putting in the work to become a licensed therapist with a thriving practice treating people who suffer from stress and anxiety, and even before the pandemic, she was in great demand. How she found time to write a book is worthy of a whole book of its own, I imagine.

The book displays a fine intelligence applied to this widespread problem in a way that is upbeat but not at all superficial, easy to read but profound at the same time. The "tools" are simple to apply and based on demonstrated experience and psychological analysis. Her examples are fascinating and even anxiety-free readers will enjoy this book. Only published a day ago, the book is already highly popular. It seems everyone who reads it knows someone else they want to share it with. Because of her insights and style of writing, I look forward to anything Risa Williams decides to publish in the future.

[Nadezhda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Отличный сжатый гайд по упражнениям от тревожности и замечанию себя.
Образ внутреннего клерка меня вообще покорил)

[EB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has creative ways for managing anxiety. It's easy to read and the activities in the book are so helpful. I would definitely recommend it!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is permanently on my nightstand. It has come in handy when I’m desperate for a quick solution or a different perspective. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun approach to managing your anxiety.

[Judit · Rating 2 out of 5]

American optimism.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some really solid fundamentals in this book, a good refresher/reminder of improving your emotional and mental state. It also includes worksheets and action items that come in very handy.

I can see many teenagers and people who just started their career to benefit greatly from this book; however, many of the tips are slightly inapplicable, such as setting time parameters or leaving your phone on the side (not a smart idea if your job depends on notifications from your boss and clients). Without spoiling too much of the content, I think the book tackles a widespread problem in a very simple way. A worthwhile read if you want a quick refreshing on your self-esteem.

Thank you to NetGalley.

[maybepsychology · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nic odkrywczego nie znalazłam w tej książce. Dodatkowo nie dla końca wiem do jakiej grupy wiekowej jest ona przeznaczona. Teoretycznej dla dorosłych, ale niektóre wątki są lekko infantylne, choć wiem, że chodzi w nich o kwestie zadbania o wewnętrzne dziecko.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like it was meant for teenagers

[ouliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

*remembering the information in an anxious way*

[Beki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick to read and free downloadable worksheets which is super helpful!

[Chris W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was well-researched and put together. I particularly like the 'Neuroscience Nugget' and the exercises dotted throughout to engage the reader. Highly recommend it.