I was very excited to read this new release by Samantha Brody because I am in a stage of life where I often feel pulled in many different directions. This book was exactly what I needed and had such a wonderful overview of why we feel stress and also a plan that can help minimize the feeling of daily overwhelm.
Brody introduced her reader to the idea of overwhelm being a bucket. In this bucket there are things you can’t change, things you can change and things you don’t want to change. Everyone’s items in their bucket will be different and there isn’t a right or wrong answer. With this concept, Brody wants you to have the understanding that what you choose to change (or not) and what is out of your control entirely, is able to help you have acceptance over what takes up your time, space and energy. The power is in your hands.
“There is a sweet spot where our choices line up with our values and health goals. When we are in our sweet spot, we wake up feeling the best that we can possibly feel mentally, psychically and emotionally. We feel confident in our choices, we have the energy we need to care of ourselves and to be there for the people we love.”
Brody shares that while this is the goal for all of us, how we can get there can be different. She asks the reader three important questions…
What do you want to be?
How do you want to feel?
What do you want to do?
Once you answer these questions, she wants you to establish a mental and logistical foundation for how you will reach these feelings and goals. She asks what your support system is and how do you best make changes. Finally, she looks at your foundational mindset. She reminds the reader to remember their power, and that they are not at the mercy of all the things that happen in their lives. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be challenges and difficult circumstances, but rather there are always things you can do to lighten your load…which include:
Believing in yourself.
Being judicious and not taking on too much at once.
Being the author of your life.
Being realistic.
Being kind to yourself.
Being flexible-having an open mind/open heart.
And most importantly…being yourself.
She takes a well-rounded look into her readers whole self, by asking questions about physical, mental and spiritual health, their environment, community, habits, and lifestyle.
This book inspired me to take proactive steps so I can be more mindful the decisions I am able to make myself and reminded me of the power I do have about how I react to things that are not in my personal control. Brody gave not only useful but also very practical advice that I could use right away. I found her ideas to be inclusive, no matter where you fall on the scale of more natural medicine vs. traditional medicine and I appreciated that aspect.
A big thanks to NetGalley and Sounds True for providing me with a copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
