First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A new story about anxiety

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To be honest, this book made me irritated because it made me feel like I was failing because I can’t manage my life in similar ways to her. This reaction isn’t all me and it was heavily influenced by the way she chose to structure and write this book. She made it seem that if you couldn’t follow her easy to manage suggestions then you aren’t trying hard enough to manage anxiety and you almost deserve your situation. Practical and poetic, wise and funny, this is a small book with a big heart. It will encourage the myriad sufferers of the world’s most common mental illness to feel not just better about their condition, but delighted by the possibilities it offers for a richer, fuller life. Sarah pulls at the thread of accepted definitions of anxiety, and unravels the notion that it is a difficult, dangerous disease that must be medicated into submission. Ultimately, she re-frames anxiety as a spiritual quest rather than a burdensome affliction, a state of yearning that will lead us closer to what really matters. This book isn't for everybody, but it was 100% for me. It seems people didn't like the meandering structure or the conversational style, which is a-ok, obviously. You do you. But I wanted to write a review because I found the book SO beautiful and helpful, and I was sceptical before buying it, so I wanted to speak directly to my fellow sceptics.

First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson - Waterstones

Since the book was published at the end of February, Wilson has been swamped with people writing to her about their own issues with anxiety, or the anxiety of loved ones. First, we make the beast beautifulwas published on February 28th, 2017 (Pan Macmillan Australia) and April 24, 2018 (US, Harper Collins) and is now published worldwide, in South Korean, Lithuanian and French. Where to buy the book I think the key takeaways from the book are that Wilson learnt that meditation, exercise and ‘sitting with her discomfort’ were her invaluable tools for healing, moving away from impulsivity and the desire to flee when things got difficult. And I get that. Mindfulness and understanding helps, that isn’t ground-breaking news but Wilson’s story sure does highlight that very well. During this time, I flitted between nine countries, moved house seven times, attempted suicide twice, restructured my business and fell in love with a man...” loc 4943Anxiety is a disconnection with this Something Else. As I say, the doctors and scientists can call it all kinds of things, but I believe it all comes down to this disconnect." pg 44, ebook Encountering the ancient Chinese proverb "To conquer a beast, you must first make it beautiful," New York Times best-selling author Wilson decided to beautify her own beast, anxiety, interviewing doctors, the anxiety-prone, and the Dalai Lama. With a 75,000-copy first printing. Library Journal A witty, well-researched, and often insightful book about negotiating a new relationship to anxiety. Andrew Solomon The book teaches us how to handle life and difficult situations, which I think can go beyond anxiety, but it can be a difficult read at times. If you decide to read this, do so with an open mind. There is good advice and some not-so-good advice, so take some of Wilson’s words with a pinch of salt and if you don’t feel like it’s for you put it down and move onto the next read. Readers, particularly those who only knew the beaming, sugar-free Wilson from her cookbooks, might feel quite concerned for her.

Sarah Wilson on living with anxiety: there’s no sugarcoating

Her perspective, whilst absolutely valid, feels very privileged. Whilst I’m sure many will resonate with her story, to me her life and experiences feel out of touch. I can’t be impulsive like in the book. I can’t just take a month out and find a retreat or sanctuary to hide away in, I don’t have the financial freedoms to leg it.

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