By Lahari Kanadamuru

Am I actually doing this? I guess so. This is the first time I am expressing my opinion about a book. To be honest, I don’t think I am even ready to do this. Why? Because until now, reading has been my refuge, a getaway when life gets overwhelming. It has been my personal space. And I am not very comfortable sharing my personal space with the world.

Yet, here I am, with this piece. I am still wary of sharing my space, but I am learning to act in spite of my fears. How did this change occur? Because of this particular book, The Anxiety Toolkit by Alice Boyes.

I used to spend most of my time inside my head, to see problems that aren’t there, to talk myself out of taking chances. I felt miserable. My life was going nowhere. I wanted to do something meaningful, something productive with my life. I was desperately searching for a solution to my mental barriers. My search ended with The Anxiety Toolkit.

I am lucky to have come across this book, it is what I have been yearning for. It helped me a lot. This book made me realise that I am not the only one who is struggling, my problems are more common than I believed. This book gave me the belief that there is hope.

I am not saying that reading this book removed all the hurdles in my path. It didn’t make my life so colourful that now I am always happy. Sometimes, I still feel miserable. What the book did for me was it gave me the courage to forgive my mistakes and to accept my flaws. This book made me understand that healing begins with self-compassion. It made me realise that I can turn my life around with little effort every day.

Anyone who is struggling with anxiety should read this book. Why? Because this book will make you realise you aren’t alone in this. And that is what most of us fail to understand. Plus, if you actually do follow the steps in the book, you will know yourself a bit better. We all want to be understood. What if you understand and start relying on yourself for a change?

About the Author

Lahari is a writer currently based in Bengaluru, India. A philomath by nature, she is particularly interested in the domain of mental health. She can be reached at laharikandamuru.1995@gmail.com