Little Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On: Twenty Lessons for Managing Worry, Anxiety, and Fear

by Mark A. Reinecke

First featured on a British poster produced during World War II, 'Keep calm and carry on' has become the mantra of millions—but exactly how to keep calm remains a difficult question for most of us.

The next time you are stressed by pressures at work, overwhelmed by life's challenges, or panicked by problems that seem unsolvable, reach for this book. In Little Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On, you'll find twenty short yet powerful lessons and anxiety-reducing techniques that will help you move past stressful moments with grace. Each lesson is so simple to learn and practice, you'll find that this pocket guide is all you really need whenever you need a little help keeping calm.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Health, Reference, Mental Health

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jeremy Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Reinecke provides a calm and eminently useful set of simple exercises that actually work to reduce generalized anxiety that can paralyze your day. Taking his title from the now-ubiquitous British motivational poster from 1939, Reinecke offers 20 sets of practical solutions to concretely manage your anxiety. He examines the roots of anxiety, both its positive roots in protecting us from danger and our tendency to “awfulize” the possible outcomes and underestimate our ability to cope. He then provides exercises in each chapter that help the reader to name their anxieties, their possible roots, and their possible outcomes. Recognizing our power to change the things we can and accept the things we can’t both reduces our anxiety and, in the end, actually contributes toward our growing wisdom to positively affect our world.

Full disclosure – I often suffer from paralyzing anxiety about an uncertain future and a pessimism about our troubled world, all the way to gastrointestinal issues and insomnia. Reinecke’s exercises have made a difference. Simply reading through the book provides a sense of calm, the voice of a wise elder reassuring you and working you through your difficult (and irrational!) moments. The tone of the book is truly one of its gifts in addition to the useful questions and practices that Reinecke suggests. A caring relative bought this for me as a Christmas present, and their support and Reinecke’s book have made a noticeable difference in my life.

[Shainlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read. Wonderful book. It really makes very helpful suggestions.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is a scientific and rational approach to anxiety, yet it also includes sections that acknowledge mankind's irrational tendencies. A very helpful manual for the overly anxious (myself included).

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A succinct collection of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appreciated the tips. Sometimes thoughts are just thoughts, and every once in a while you need to give your brain a break with some happy wins!

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seems geared toward those who are worry - warts and not someone with a diagnosed anxiety problem. It does have some good tips to control anxiety for the first group, but is a little trite and simplistic towards those with a diagnosed psychological illness.

Of course, a book can't solve an illness, I realize, but I expected some insight that would help. Unfortunately, it is way too boiled down for someone like me. This is not a knock at the author, who based on his credentials seems like someone who could help, rather the hype on the cover makes it seem like this is author cure all. The cover hype reminds me of those "miracle cures" that you can buy at the fair. But instead of getting strong acting medicine, you end up with a bottle of soda.

For someone who struggles with panic attacks and anxiety, this book did the opposite of helping. While it did not cause a panic attack, reading the examples of anxiety in the book did cause my anxiety to rise. I am sure this is not the intention of the author, but it happened.

But as I attempt to look at this book objectively, I do see the merits for someone who has a lot of worries. Some of the tips are extremely boiled down versions of things I have been taught in sessions with various people in the psychological field. So it does have merits, but some of the tips boil down to stop worrying. For a worry-wart this is valuable advice to hear, for someone like me, that is easier said than done.

I gave it two stars based on how I was able to relate to it with my situation. I can see how some may find it invaluable to theirs. So if I might boil down my review to the crux, don't expect this book to necessarily cure all forms of anxiety.

[Nicole Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super quick read - like 150 pages total.
I grabbed it at the bookstore for a few reasons - first, the title was appealing and it looked like it had some really good tips/tricks in it. While reading this though, I realized this information isn't "new." This is just a bunch of stuff I already knew wrapped up in a different package.
It was a good read, a good way to look at the ideals without really beating a dead horse.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good example of why I love the Library. I have a problem that is making life way harder than it should be. I want to solve the problem and bingo!!!!! Just sitting there on the shelf waiting for me...for FREE. While there is no definitive way to 'not have anxiety' this lil treasure is bursting with really practical ideas to tackle it. I love this book and will be doing a ton of rereading and taking notes before I return it to the Library. It's going to help

[Kristie J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because I love the "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan and it's a small, cute book. The chapters are short and quick to read, however I found the material to be quite dry. Would have been better to make the book a little longer and include examples or case studies of people dealing with their anxiety using the concepts in the book.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim at the library since it was on the "new" shelf, and I've been bombarded by Keep Calm and Carry On posters lately. I was delighted to find practical advice here that I haven't in other self-help books. Some of it really seems useful. A quick, worthwhile read.

[Leah Dudley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise and helpful read for anyone with anxiety. Good tips!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at Barnes & Noble today while I was looking at Nooks...:)

Lots of good info and exercises you can do at the end of each chapter. I'll write more about this book later...

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that gives you twenty lessons for managing worry and anxiety. Two great lessons I got out of this book are, stop fixating on problems and start focusing on solutions. Forgive yourself and accept that you can’t always control things. A lot of other awesome lessons in this book. Worth a read.

[Alberto Vernacchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this little gem up at the JMMR outpatient library and finished it quickly as it is a short read. A book about how to manage identity and treat anxiety. It is a small book with some helpful strategies. Mostly common sense but gives clarity for those who suffer from anxieties…. I would probably re read this at some point.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick but insightful and helpful read - the prompts at the end of each chapter (“tip”) are a nice guide for challenging the reader to break down what’s causing them anxiety in constructive ways.

[Josh Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

short book ... hard read. .. didn't seem to flow good

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some interesting points made in this book. Do I tend to "awfulize" - imagine the worst-case scenario - problems? Yes, and I saw myself in other descriptions, too, such as trying to avoid problems. I liked the chapters titled "Perfect solutions don't exist" and "Sometimes you can take control of bad situations, but sometimes not." I also liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

But I was hoping for more of a personal touch. Although there are a few personal anecdotes, this is mostly a somewhat clinical, repetitive reminder of what you should do (or try) in certain stressful or fearful scenarios. Some of the tips were helpful, but I finished the book with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. If you're looking for warm fuzzies, this may not be the book for you.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute little book filled with pretty common sense advice. It's an easy read, but not really all that profound or ground-breaking.
The basic advice in the book is "don't worry; it's not that bad". I see how this may be beneficial for some people with normal day-to-day anxiety, but definitely isn't helpful for someone with any anxiety disorders or people who have to deal with constant high-stress situations such as discrimination.
The target audience seems to be very limited: middle class people that have occasional stressors but overall don't have any big problems.
The advice may work for some people, but personally for me it takes more than someone telling me to stop stressing to actually cope with anxiety.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book after the election (2016) and I needed something to help me calm down. I have anxiety so I thought this would help me find some tricks to avoid it. It is an interesting book, and a lot of the points it mentions makes a lot of sense. However, it feels like this is just an introduction into getting over your anxiety - it doesn't go into depth. It's a short audiobook/book, so it's a good place to begin. While I did enjoy the audiobook, I think it would be better in print. I'd be able to flip through it to the section that I needed at the time.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple little book but it's full of good advice and no-nonsense directions & questions on how to deal with anxiety and worrying. It wasn't overly sentimental and though I do often like reading personal insights, I was glad that the author didn't do that in this book. It's a good book for someone who is looking for straight forward advice and it's good whether you want a quick read or if you want to take your time and work through each question section.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had some money left on a 2012 Christmas gift card for Barnes & Noble so I went browsing while at B&N for a meeting Because of all that is happening in my life right now the title of this book caught my attention. It is excellent and just what I needed. A special thanks to Flavia McKnight, one of our future Esperanza teachers, who bought it for me when she saw I couldn't decide between this book and another. :)

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

short little guide to reducing anxiety and increasing calm, written in a really, really simple way. I pulled it off the shelf because I liked how it looked; it reminds me of Feeling Good but in a condensed, simplified form.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a helpful little book full of good advice for those of us who need it. 20 little lessons for managing worry, anxiety, and fear. This book is for anyone wanting to change their life. "Change your thoughts, and you can change your behavior. Change your behavior, and you can change your life." I'm keeping this for the future.

[Aga Artka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little book. I picked it up as it seemed relevant with all the anxiety caused by work in the last few months. I think I realized that "failure is not an option" and striving for perfection every time is slowly killing me....so, time for a change.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid advice on dealing with worry, anxiety and fear ~ but nothing new or earth shattering. One of the best things about the book is that it is small and it is broken up into short, readable chapters which makes this little book one that anxious worriers like me can refer to again and again.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book thinking it would be helpful tips to staying calm during normal life activities. Unfortunately it was tips on anxiety for people who can't deal with normal daily stress. Would be helpful for people who have anxiety issues.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read with some great short little tips to help with anxiety. I think there are some things you can use but some things you think to yourself "easier said than done"

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful helpful...

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good information and activities for those suffering from General anxiety. I found this book to have little information that was relevant in regards to panic attacks.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly common sense ideas that are easier said than done.