I haven’t met a person who isn’t struggling with anxiety and stress these days. Toss in the inner critic, fear, low self-esteem, and emotional reactivity, and you have a cocktail that we all occasionally finds ourselves swimming in. That’s why this book by Dr. Julie Smith is a timely read for everyone.

There’s a lot of great expert insight here. The book is designed as a mental health toolbox and it provides the reader with easy to navigate exercises for managing stress, anxiety, depression, lack of confidence, grief, criticism, uncertainty, fear…I could go on and on. The chapters are short but intense, and Dr. Smith’s frank approach to unpacking the hard truths with gentle resolutions is immensely appealing. Not to mention a welcome relief. Hence the title. She clearly knows that readers want the hard truths, clarity, and proven approaches for governing triggers and moving forward toward peak mental health and emotional control.

The chapters on confidence and criticism especially hit home.

Uh, hello…author imposter syndrome is on the rampage for many in the industry. So, the sound and well researched advice is welcome. But what I like best about these chapters, along with all of them, is that they are written for the reader. Building on the title Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? she confirms how platitudes like “just think positive,” or “stop thinking about it,” can only dig the knife deeper. When you ruminate on these triggers, you make more tiny cuts each time. But instead of feeling bad that you can’t “just stop,” she shares how one of the best courses of action is to be aware. Then to employ a personalized plan (which she guides you through with tools and resources) that works for you to help you break the cycle and reframe the situation. It couldn’t be more uplifting!