Score: 4/5 Bookmarks

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a review copy of The Anxiety First Aid Kit: Quick Tools for Extreme, Uncertain Times by Rick Hanson, Matthew McKay et al.

I’m willing to bet most of us could use this book right now, and I’m mad at myself for not reading it earlier. It’s full of tried and true methods for helping lessen and control anxiety when it strikes, as well as exercises you can do as preemptive measures.

This book doesn’t go into deep detail on any one subject and is by no means a replacement for counseling or therapy, but it does give you some quick tools to have in your pocket for when you need them. While there is nothing new or groundbreaking included, there are practical and useful exercises like Diaphragmatic Breathing, Meditation, Visualization Exercises, and the Five-Finger Exercise (a type of self-hypnosis).

I’d definitely recommend this one for anyone who’d like to have additional exercises in their toolkit for dealing with anxiety. You can grab your own copy via the button below.

Synopsis:

A quick-relief guide for calming anxiety and stress right now—during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you’re feeling unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety right now, please know that you aren’t alone. In these extreme and uncertain times, it’s natural to be in a constant state of mental and physical strain. Whether you’re dealing with job loss, a sick loved one, or just feeling the weight of the world during your 2 a.m. doomscroll—you need quick tools you can use right now, whenever and wherever you are, to lower stress and soothe anxiety. This emergency kit has you covered.

Written by a dream team of mental health experts and grounded in evidence-based therapy, The Anxiety First Aid Kit offers powerful tools for triaging stress and anxiety in the moments when you need it most. You’ll find easy and doable ways to help you press pause on panic, and find your calm spot right away. You’ll discover in-the-moment interventions to help you relax before your anxiety and stress go into overdrive. And finally, you’ll learn how to make healthy and workable lifestyle changes to improve your mental health and increase resilience, so you can effectively deal with stressful situations in the future—no matter what life throws at you.

Between pandemic-related economic fears, the frustrations of social distancing, indoor confinement, work and household double duties (now including homeschooling!), and the looming threat of serious illness, is it any wonder you’re feeling completely stressed out and anxious? If you need immediate relief, The Anxiety First Aid Kit has everything you need to manage stress and anxiety—right now.