50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain (by Catherine M. Pittman & Maha Zayed Hoffman)
Anxiety is such a common physical and emotional experience for humans to experience in today’s society. I hear clients complain about it multiple times a day. The more I grow in age and maturity, I am gaining an understanding of my own relationship with anxiety. I remain open to learning more coping skills for anxiety. Which brings me to this amazing book, 50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain: Simple Skills to Soothe Anxiety and Create New Neural Pathways to Calm by Catherine M. Pittman and Maha Zayed Hoffman.
First, I chose to read the audiobook version. The book offers many opportunities for guided journaling through reflection. I listen to audiobooks when I’m on the go or completing household tasks. Not exactly the ideal scenario for stopping the audiobook to journal. I wasn’t interested in pulling over to the side of the road to put pen to paper. 😅 I like to journal, but I didn’t feel compelled to journal as offered by the authors. I recommend a physical copy of the book if you want to go through the book slowly, with undivided attention, and opportunities to journal.
I am considering purchasing a physical copy of this book to use as a reference. The authors offer excellent tools that I would love to flip through the book in the future for a refresher. I’m sure I’ll need it! 😂
I appreciate the authors explaining how anxiety works in the brain. They explain, in easy to understand language, how the amygdala works to create anxiety. I like thinking about the amygdala as a part of my brain that is separate from me as a person. This is my personal takeaway from the book based upon how the concept was explained. It gives me the perception that it is something I can combat.
The authors offer so many helpful suggestions. Many I am familiar, such as having good sleep hygiene, mindfulness, replacing anxious thoughts, and evaluating what you have control. What makes their suggestions stand apart from other resources I have utilized is the authors explain how the amygdala works; therefore, how the tool will work on the amygdala. For me, understanding how the brain works makes all the difference in applying their suggestions.
I borrowed the audiobook from my local library with the Libby app. Narration by Erin deWard was just okay; sometimes her voice sounded robotic. Thankfully, it wasn’t so annoying that I couldn’t listen to the book.
March 5, 2024 - UPDATE! I purchased a physical copy of the book! After experiencing a rather stressful and anxiety provoking event, I decided a physical copy of the book would be beneficial to use as a reference and be able to spend more time absorbing the content.
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