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Calm & Sense
Written by a licensed psychotherapist who knows what it’s like to be anxious, Calm & Sense brings you a broad range of tools for dealing with anxiety, • Sound psychological approaches that offer guidance you can trust
• Physical techniques to address your anxiety anytime, anywhere
• Feasible lifestyle changes to help avoid anxiety triggers
It also gives voice to stories drawn from the experiences of women who have faced anxiety and learned to manage it successfully with specific techniques that work best to ease it.
• Physical techniques to address your anxiety anytime, anywhere
• Feasible lifestyle changes to help avoid anxiety triggers
It also gives voice to stories drawn from the experiences of women who have faced anxiety and learned to manage it successfully with specific techniques that work best to ease it.
- GenresSelf Help
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2022
9 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 23, 2021
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating is 4.5 stars.
This book is obviously a Self Help Guide for Anxiety geared specifically towards women. While it focuses on statistics for women, there would be nothing stopping a man from trying the worksheets, techniques, tips, and tricks of this book. Aside from the statistical information used to provide needed evidence, it can be viewed as a general self-help book.
As I said, everything is geared towards women when it comes to giving information. It sorta reads like a seminar for women. There is a questionnaire near the beginning to help you figure out what kind of anxious person you are so you can narrow down your reading to areas that are specifically about your type of anxiety. You know, if you’re not like me and feel compelled to read the whole book “just in case.” There are a few worksheets at the beginning, but the majority of it is just reading and educating yourself…and maybe a few fictitious scenarios about fictitious women. Or maybe they were real women. I can’t remember.
I spent the last week and a bit reading and rereading the physical strategies at the end of the book, trying to memorize a few and use them on myself to see if they do anything for me. Yoga, Qigong (Chinese movement and meditation practice), acupressure, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) are responsible for a lot of the physical techniques the author supplies you with to help battle and calm your anxiety. But the author does give you other ideas like journaling and the box of worries. Or planning to worry and getting organized to help diminish the clutter around you that may help trigger your anxious behaviour. She also talks about getting a support network, helping out other people (to help make yourself feel better), take days off from worrying (anxiety free day planning).
The author also reminds you to drink your water (and enjoy water in general), nourish yourself (the whole book is about the mentally, but there is also the physically, as in food). Speaking of food, this book gets a little diet book-like and has a character dedicated to what you should eat and another to what you shouldn’t eat. Apparently, sugar is bad all round, which most of us know. But the idea of a coffee junky giving up their Joe… you should probably work on that because it could and that’s really who she’s going after. Apparently, the guideline is 400mg of caffeine a day. Who knew. I know a lot of anxious people who could be sleeping on their desks at work if they followed this advice. Lol
I also want to point out that the author does a great job of citing ALL the papers, studies, documents, etc she used to write her book. Bravo!!! As a librarian, I solute you because SO MANY AUTHORS fail to do this properly, or at all for that matter.
All in all, it’s a pretty good book. I only wish it was available in physical form instead of just electronically.
Actual rating is 4.5 stars.
This book is obviously a Self Help Guide for Anxiety geared specifically towards women. While it focuses on statistics for women, there would be nothing stopping a man from trying the worksheets, techniques, tips, and tricks of this book. Aside from the statistical information used to provide needed evidence, it can be viewed as a general self-help book.
As I said, everything is geared towards women when it comes to giving information. It sorta reads like a seminar for women. There is a questionnaire near the beginning to help you figure out what kind of anxious person you are so you can narrow down your reading to areas that are specifically about your type of anxiety. You know, if you’re not like me and feel compelled to read the whole book “just in case.” There are a few worksheets at the beginning, but the majority of it is just reading and educating yourself…and maybe a few fictitious scenarios about fictitious women. Or maybe they were real women. I can’t remember.
I spent the last week and a bit reading and rereading the physical strategies at the end of the book, trying to memorize a few and use them on myself to see if they do anything for me. Yoga, Qigong (Chinese movement and meditation practice), acupressure, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) are responsible for a lot of the physical techniques the author supplies you with to help battle and calm your anxiety. But the author does give you other ideas like journaling and the box of worries. Or planning to worry and getting organized to help diminish the clutter around you that may help trigger your anxious behaviour. She also talks about getting a support network, helping out other people (to help make yourself feel better), take days off from worrying (anxiety free day planning).
The author also reminds you to drink your water (and enjoy water in general), nourish yourself (the whole book is about the mentally, but there is also the physically, as in food). Speaking of food, this book gets a little diet book-like and has a character dedicated to what you should eat and another to what you shouldn’t eat. Apparently, sugar is bad all round, which most of us know. But the idea of a coffee junky giving up their Joe… you should probably work on that because it could and that’s really who she’s going after. Apparently, the guideline is 400mg of caffeine a day. Who knew. I know a lot of anxious people who could be sleeping on their desks at work if they followed this advice. Lol
I also want to point out that the author does a great job of citing ALL the papers, studies, documents, etc she used to write her book. Bravo!!! As a librarian, I solute you because SO MANY AUTHORS fail to do this properly, or at all for that matter.
All in all, it’s a pretty good book. I only wish it was available in physical form instead of just electronically.
March 10, 2021
Calm & Sense by psychotherapist Wendy Leeds is aimed at women dealing with anxiety. The author takes a very realistic perspective, encouraging readers to do what works best for them. She acknowledges that what works best may include medication, and doesn’t insist that any specific strategy will work for everyone. I always find that kind of balanced perspective reassuring in a book.
The book takes a very holistic approach, incorporating a broad range of different strategies that might be helpful. Each chapter is short and to the point, which makes for easy reading. The author provides example scenarios and incorporates information from references to help illustrate key points. There’s room to answer questions in workbook-style.
The reader might initially be taken aback by the author’s assertion that “you are causing your own anxiety.” However, it quickly becomes clear that this is intended in an empowering way rather than an invalidating way.
Several chapters are devoted to concepts from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). There’s also a chapter on the irrational beliefs described by Albert Ellis, the founder of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT). You’ll definitely recognize some of these in yourself.
There’s a chapter devoted to accentuating the positive, but without any hint of the toxic positivity that seems so pervasive these days.
The book focuses on practical suggestions, and for topics like incorporating play or getting moving there are lengthy lists of suggestions.
While the book explicitly says it’s aimed at females, and there is some attention given at the beginning to differences between male and female brains, I think its usefulness extends beyond just half of the population.
The book doesn’t feel like a therapist trying to educate you; rather, it has the feel of another regular person having a conversation with you, who just happens to have the knowledge and experience of a therapist. With the wide range of ideas offered in the book, I think any reader is likely to find things that work for them. And easy-to-read is always a winner for me.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book takes a very holistic approach, incorporating a broad range of different strategies that might be helpful. Each chapter is short and to the point, which makes for easy reading. The author provides example scenarios and incorporates information from references to help illustrate key points. There’s room to answer questions in workbook-style.
The reader might initially be taken aback by the author’s assertion that “you are causing your own anxiety.” However, it quickly becomes clear that this is intended in an empowering way rather than an invalidating way.
Several chapters are devoted to concepts from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). There’s also a chapter on the irrational beliefs described by Albert Ellis, the founder of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT). You’ll definitely recognize some of these in yourself.
There’s a chapter devoted to accentuating the positive, but without any hint of the toxic positivity that seems so pervasive these days.
The book focuses on practical suggestions, and for topics like incorporating play or getting moving there are lengthy lists of suggestions.
While the book explicitly says it’s aimed at females, and there is some attention given at the beginning to differences between male and female brains, I think its usefulness extends beyond just half of the population.
The book doesn’t feel like a therapist trying to educate you; rather, it has the feel of another regular person having a conversation with you, who just happens to have the knowledge and experience of a therapist. With the wide range of ideas offered in the book, I think any reader is likely to find things that work for them. And easy-to-read is always a winner for me.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2021
Calm and sense is a self-help book geared for most women who wish to live a stress-free life. Although the information is not designed to replace any medical or psychiatric treatment, it still offers a well-organized method for dealing with anxiety.
The author begins with initially ‘Naming’ the anxiety. She then introduces claim, reframes and tame as part of a methodology in this journey of overcoming anxiety.
I particularly enjoyed reading about how we should stop wanting to be perfect every time. I personally struggle with this matter. Always seeking perfection is exhausting sometimes, so I felt it was important that this issue was included in the book. The author even spells perfect as ‘Perfekt’ just to emphasize how it’s okay to make mistakes.
The literature is written well and is easy to follow. The foundation of the work represents someone who cares and has provided this book as a means for the public to read and overcome their troubles.
I recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with anxiety and enjoys reading a self-help book.
The author begins with initially ‘Naming’ the anxiety. She then introduces claim, reframes and tame as part of a methodology in this journey of overcoming anxiety.
I particularly enjoyed reading about how we should stop wanting to be perfect every time. I personally struggle with this matter. Always seeking perfection is exhausting sometimes, so I felt it was important that this issue was included in the book. The author even spells perfect as ‘Perfekt’ just to emphasize how it’s okay to make mistakes.
The literature is written well and is easy to follow. The foundation of the work represents someone who cares and has provided this book as a means for the public to read and overcome their troubles.
I recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with anxiety and enjoys reading a self-help book.
October 27, 2021
A thorough explanation, of different types of anxiety and how it affects different people. The author put a lot of emphasis on gender differences though.
Many different techniques are covered on how to deal with anxiety and getting out of a bad cycle of thinking. The author suggests trying different things and trying them more than once. You may not click with yoga the first time but try it again later when you may be in a different place and so on with each technique.
The subtitle of the book specifically targets this book at women but most of these things will help everyone. Anxiety is a major mental health issue right now and this book will be great for everyone.
Many different techniques are covered on how to deal with anxiety and getting out of a bad cycle of thinking. The author suggests trying different things and trying them more than once. You may not click with yoga the first time but try it again later when you may be in a different place and so on with each technique.
The subtitle of the book specifically targets this book at women but most of these things will help everyone. Anxiety is a major mental health issue right now and this book will be great for everyone.
November 30, 2021
I thought that this book offered a lot of good solutions for women who suffer from anxiety. I didn't even realize that I probably have mild anxiety, and I love that she gave me many new tools to overcome that and lead a better life. She did a good job of breaking up the pieces of information, and giving us scenerios to visualize what different situations look like. She did a great job citing her information, so we could look it up and find it if we ever wanted too. Overall, a great book for those who need help with their anxiety.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 23, 2021
If you are experiencing anxiety/panic please do yourself a favor and read this book. Right from the first chapter the information is mind boggling. The differences between how men and women process/look at things explains an awful lot! The information on the different “physical” causes of anxiety is somehow comforting i.e. it’s not all in your head. And the practical tips and numerous techniques are easy and effective. Before I even got half way through I was feeling much better about being able to deal with my anxiety.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews