Be Mighty by Jill A. Stoddard, Ph.D. | New Harbinger Publications {Book Review}

Be Mighty by Jill. A Stoddard, Ph.D.

Book Summary:

You are stronger than your anxiety—you are mighty. In this empowering guide, you’ll find practical tools to help you shed the shackles of worry and fear and embrace a more vibrant life.

In a culture where women are still paid less for doing the same jobs, expected to juggle family and career effortlessly, and faced with the harsh realities of misogyny and sexism daily, it’s no wonder you’re also twice as likely to experience issues related to anxiety and trauma. But there are real tools you can use now to build personal resilience in a difficult world, move past anxious thoughts, and conquer your worries and fears. This book will help guide the way.

Be Mighty leads you on a bold quest to gain a deeper understanding of your anxiety by exploring your own “origin story”—how your early experiences led to thoughts and behaviors that may have offered comfort and protection at one time, but are now keeping you from living your best life. Using practical tools and experiential exercises based in mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), you’ll learn to respond to present-day triggers in a new way, making choices from a more conscious, values-driven place.

So, drop that outdated armor and dive headlong into this book. You’ll emerge fresh and fierce, with the confidence to stand up for the life you want to live and the power to face life’s complexities as your best, most authentic self. It’s time to be who you truly want to be. It’s time for you to be mighty!

Publication Date:

January 2nd, 2020

Genre:

Mental Health/Self Help

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Review:

Be Mighty (Amazon Affiliate Link)

As someone who deals with anxiety, I am always drawn to books that talk about it in a real way. Anxiety isn’t something that can be extinguished but it can be managed. Be Mighty sold me with its gorgeous cover and tag line about liberation from anxiety, worry, and stress. The introduction was just beautifully written and I love the idea that “brokenness” can actually be a wonderful tool in our paths of life.

“All emotions—the ones we like and the ones we think we’d rather do without—have purpose and value.”

Author Jill Stoddard shares that there isn’t a human that hasn’t deal with some kind of struggle or pain. These struggles can get us down or they can also speak to us and help us understand what we need in our lives to be healthier and happier. Instead of working to avoid discomfort, when we let ourselves really feel, we can then really bloom as whole and imperfect people. Allowing ourselves to feel “all the things” can help guide us on our paths instead of just trying to avoid things that “hurt”.

“The Comfort Zone is cozy. But it is never where the magic happens.”

Stoddard walks us through what stress and anxiety are and also identified how these things aren’t a problem in themselves but more so when they become excessive. As someone who has previously experienced debilitating anxiety, I appreciated the idea that it wasn’t so much that it happened but that it started interfering in my daily life. Her writing is relatable but also super informative. I loved that she was able to explain this all in a completely accessible manner. Her proactive ideas like using mindfulness were explained clearly and effectively.

“Mindfulness is the key to unlocking the space between detonator and bomb, where we can slow down, observe, and experience the moment fully and without defense. This disables our autopilot, deactivates our bomb, and allows us to discover and experience life, as it is, rather than what the mind says it is.”

I could go on and on about this one because I really got so much out of it but I will just say that while books about stress and anxiety are nothing new, I loved this fresh and approachable take on the subject and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

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