Details from Audible:
The Anxiety Audit
7 Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them
Written by
Narrated by
About this listen
Ask people to describe anxiety, and they’ll start with the familiar symptoms: racing heart, sweaty palms, difficulty breathing. Anxiety, they might add, is “freaking out,” a panic attack, or a frightening loss of control. But anxiety isn’t always what we think it is, especially now. Anxiety has become the new normal, constant and simmering, disguising itself in patterns and responses we don’t even recognize as anxiety. These patterns include:
– Ruminating and worrying (and mistaking it for problem solving)
– Going global, or seeing the world through an overwhelming, all-or-nothing lens
– Isolating and disconnecting, all too common in our “new normal”
– Creating chaos and “busy-ness”
The Anxiety Audit is a guide for us all: with no overly scientific or diagnostic language—just real talk and time-tested tactics from a respected therapist—it is a relatable and practical guide to untangling yourself from the grips of worry and fear.
Using stories, real-world examples, and helpful dialogues to retrain the way you think and react, trusted anxiety expert Lynn Lyons helps you recognize the sneaky ways these anxious patterns and cycles of worry take hold in your life.©2022 Lynn Lyons (P)2023 Tantor
Initial Thoughts:
Like lots of people, I took a big interest in my mental health during the pandemic. I should have been doing it a long time before that, but better late than never. As such, I really enjoy mental health books; I always learn something, and the techniques/ideas often come in handy, especially as the world remains dark and stressful much of the time. I found this book on Audible, and as I do have anxiety (and it was read by the author, which I love), I decided to give it a listen.
Main Points:
This is a great book full of practical advice, especially for anyone who has ever struggled with worry/anxiety, and has points to consider and questions to answer at the end of every chapter. Lynn is honest, talks about her own life, provides clear examples of stressful events, and explains how she dealt with them. She also gives a lot of examples from her patients, by changing their names, of course and shows how whatever it is you’re going through, someone else has felt the same, and it’s perfectly normal. The book is not all serious, and there are some nice moments of levity. She has an excellent speaking voice and explains everything very clearly with sympathy, and yet still has strong opinions on issues connected to anxiety that matter to her. She explains well, for example, how something as simple as exercise can move from self-care to obsession, which hurts not only you but the people in your life (and therefore causes anxiety instead of preventing or easing it).
Ever hear the adage “loving someone means never having to say you’re sorry”? That’s actually from a movie (and the book originally titled “Love Story” by Eric Segal), and it’s nonesense. Everyone makes mistakes, and you need to be big enough to admit that and apologize (when it’s needed, of course). How about smoking weed every day to get rid of your anxiety? Keep in mind, I love weed and get high 3-4 times a week, so I don’t say this lightly. If you’re high all the time, most likely any anxiety you have is just coming down from the high, unless you’re Willie Nelson, who’s an exception for sure, and you’re just using weed as a crutch. This is the kind of book I could listen to again and pick up more tips; it’s a great mix of soothing/informative/helpful to anyone who needs it.
Final Thoughts:
I loved this book, and I am going to look for Lynn Lyons and see if she has another book on Audible. I wish this book had gone on longer; that’s my only real complaint, as it’s only just over 6 hours. I give this a very strong 8.5 out of 10 and would highly recommend it to anyone who suffers from anxiety/has an interest in mental health. While there’s no coarse language, I think the adult themes mean no kids, ages 17+.