Share this
Everything Anxiety Ever Told You Is a Lie
By Dr Toni Lindsay
Published by Exisle Publishing
ISBN 9781922539991
This refreshing look explaining anxiety for teens and young adults captures the essence of a younger persons anxiousness. Using language to appeal to a younger audience in the 14 - 25 year old age group, it gives easy to understand examples and metaphors.
Lindsay explains in everyday language situations where anxiety appears and what you can do about it, how to overcome and take control of feelings.
Beginning with a chapter explaining the dictionary definition continuing to how it may affect the reader's life. It is particularly helpful reading that not all anxiety is a bad thing, it can actually be helpful, but not at extreme levels. Relating this explanation to eating chocolate is a rather clever way to put this into perspective.
Preparation for exams can be super stressful for some and the information on exam anxiety is not only helpful, but may make some people change their studying habits. There are many good examples such as the one relating to the behaviour of the waves on the ocean as they reach the shoreline or another most of us can relate to, participating in a tug of war on sports day at school.
A particularly helpful chapter is about the people in your brain, a.k.a. the Anxiety Guy, in our brains. Everyday we all have many thoughts whirring around whether that relates to decisions, planning or what we will do next. The terminology Guy is used throughout the book and is not gender related, but rather a common usage word, especially amongst the generation that will read this book. While on the topic of language I did find the frequent use of :bunch" as a collective noun particularly irksome.
Another practical, helpful explanation demonstrating the crux of understanding anxiety and the different layers isone that uses the layers of an onion. It is a clever way to describe the multiplle feelings we go through in various situations such as having a disagreement with a friend or colleague.
The chatty, conversational style is easy to read as Lindsay explains the importance of doing what really matters. My favourite chapter is on Perfectionism, I like everything to be perfect, but of course in reality that doesn't happen Not being perfect is not a licence to be sloppy or slap dash, but as she explains there is not such thing as perfect, but there are tips for what you can do and how to handle the Perfection Guy in your brain. - I need to re-read this chapter!
In summary Everything Your Anxiety Ever Told You is A Lie, has realistic strategies to help in a busy, uncertain, changing time of life and finding your way in the 14 - 25 year age bracket. As a hardcover self care book it is one to keep and refer to whenever the need arises.
The author
Dr Toni Lindsay is a qualified clinical psychologist who has been working with both adults and adolescents for over 10 years. She works at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in the Oncology and Haematology departments and has a special interest in the care of adolescents and young adults with cancer. She is an AHPRA approved supervisor and works predominately from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework. Her first book was titled Cancer, Sex, Drugs and Death (Australian Academic Press, 2017) and focused on the psychological management of young people with cancer.
This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so If you Liked this review - Buy me a coffee
