personal development

12 Books & Courses For Managing Anxiety

I wanted to write a list of great books by people who’ve found creative ways to manage their anxiety levels. In addition to this, I will also be letting you know about some courses which are geared towards wellness.

managing anxiety

Quick note: AD-AFF-GIFTED Some of the links contained on this page are sponsored and affiliate links. If you go through an affiliate link to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I only recommend products I use myself and think would be helpful for other people.

Shall we dive into the list of great resources to help you with managing anxiety?

Education – courses for managing anxiety

Charlotte Lewington

Charlotte is a bestselling co-author, educator and consultant helping children and young people to
find their voice, be seen and feel validated. There is nothing she is more passionate about than
making sure children know that they are loved and love themselves from the inside out. During her
own childhood, Charlotte faced many struggles that only made her stronger. Through these
experiences, she learnt that you can either sit down and cry about things or you get up and you move
on. Learning the lesson being shown to you.

After 16 years of experience within different health and childcare settings, Charlotte gained a degree
in psychology and is currently working towards a master’s degree in children and young people. Charlotte spends most of her time delivering training to nurseries, schools and organisations offering
workshops and retreats relating to emotional well-being.

Her mission is to provide support in order to bridge the gap with the mental health crisis that we are
currently experiencing.
In between all this, you will often find charlotte travelling the world and making the most out of life.

Details you need to check out

Please head over and check out her Facebook group – Children’s Mental Health Support for Parents & Educators | Facebook

She also offers

1-2-1 support sessions if anyone is feeling lost or finding the queen’s death a trigger. For anyone finding it challenging with children going back to school or children managing anxiety about anything, parents or carers can book a call. She is also currently looking for people to be involved in a book collaboration.

Miss M Online courses

I recently wrote about how important it is to nurture a business-minded child. And more importantly, teach essential life skills that are usually lacking in the mainstream school system. You can check out the full blog post here.

Well, it’s time to bring you the latest from this amazing platform. Check out some of the courses available below.

What’s the latest?

Why not check out the new business board game? What an amazing gift for a young person this Christmas!

Business Board Game
managing anxiety
Ready to help your child?
managing anxiety
Other Courses

Discount code…

Click here & apply discount

Centre Of Excellence

Centre Of Excellence has a range of courses related to managing anxiety, wellness and alternative therapies.

Here are just some of the courses on offer…

Anxiety Management Diploma Course

Dealing With Depression Diploma Course

Mindful Mental Health Diploma Course

Yoga Diploma Course

Head over and check out all of their amazing learning resources. Maybe you want to buy the gift of learning for a loved one or friend this holiday season. You know someone who is currently managing anxiety and needs some assistance.

Books for managing anxiety

You can check out my page, dedicated to all things books! Feel free to browse the other book-related posts on my blog

Look No Further Than Elfland UK for Your Christmas Eve Box

12 Books & Courses For Managing Anxiety

Why Attending A Literature Festival Is An Amazing Experience

I also have a page dedicated to managing anxiety

Rachel Ann Cullen’s book, Running for Our Lives

My thoughts

Running For Our Lives is about how running helps people overcome life challenges and mental health struggles. It touches upon how it helped Rachel reclaim her identity after she became a mum. In addition, it contains human stories and experiences from ordinary people.

I knew this title would resonate with time on some level. But I was unprepared for how much I would feel an emotional connection to the stories. A literal pang in my heart because this journey of sharing our mental health struggles is also one I’ve been on myself. I couldn’t put this book down, thanks to honest writing. Not to mention, the sheer power of connection between human beings who have one shared cause. 

“It enables us to silence the chimp and write another story for ourselves – one where things become possible.”

Running For Our Lives

“These are people who have chosen to live fiercely and to be fully alive. They are no longer content with the alternative.”

Running For Our Lives

“mental illness is not concerned with rational thought. It will eat you up regardless.”

Running For Our Lives

“Perhaps it is you seeing the tiniest chink of light in a very dark place, discovering that you have a new friend in the world – one whom you have never met.”

Running For Our Lives

Buy the book

Sara Barnes’ book, The Cold Fix

The Cold Fix is about the healing power of cold water immersion in overcoming physical and mental pain. Or anguish including osteoarthritis, seasonal sadness, migraines, alcoholism and overthinking. It’s about growing older and exploring new opportunities; menopause, body image and confidence.

My thoughts

When reading the book, my initial thought was that I was intrigued as to why people do this and I find it fascinating that such an extreme activity can help someone mentally.

I particularly like the sensory and meditative experience which comes with this technique. It feels similar to how I probably feel when doing meditation.

“Coming here on my own had indeed added a risk factor, but it had also motivated and driven me to climb, literally, out of my comfort zone and rediscover a world that had been out of my reach for too long”

Sara Barnes’ book, The Cold Fix

“The cold water has given me the key to unlock myself within a place I didn’t know existed: the community of cold-water swimmers right around the world. What binds us all together is the cold and how it makes us feel: brave enough to tackle even the toughest of life’s issues.”

Sara Barnes’ book, The Cold Fix

Buy the book

Jo Moseley’s Stand-up Paddleboarding in Great Britain

Stand Up Paddleboarding is a guide to paddle boarding. However, Jo explains the sport has got her through grief, anxiety and empty nesting. It’s brought her identity back outside her roles as a mother, daughter, sister, and friend. And her commitment to the environment has strengthened. Back in 2019, she became the first woman aged 54 to stand up paddleboard coast to coast across northern England. Picking up litter and raising money for environmental charities.

My thoughts

The most striking thing about this book is the great images of places to visit. You feel transported there, and it’s wonderful. You are experiencing an adventure alongside reading about Jo’s story. There is a real variation in locations across the UK and I was glad to see some near where we live. It also makes me want to visit the places I haven’t visited and take in the scenery for myself.

The book also includes practical tips on how to get started, if you’re interested in starting your stand-up paddle-boarding journey

“A chance to walk on water, and I hope, appreciate that we all belong there too.”

Jo Moseley’s Stand-up Paddleboarding in Great Britain

Buy the book

Michael Waters

You may remember me including Michael Waters in a previous blog post.

Buy the book

Recent projects

He has recently been writing for some projects, aiming to help young people with their mental health. If you follow my blog, you will know I am totally on board with this. The current cost of living situation we are facing in the UK is only going to increase mental health problems among young people. Ultimately, it is up to us to raise awareness.

One is about how becoming guise-wise can really help reduce the mental health issues of young people (and not so young!)

Why? Because so many are the result of comparing ourselves to others, often obsessively,
and to a disproportionate emphasis on relatively minor or very specific but not all-defining
differences. Young people are especially prone to these practices.
Supposing I’m a teenager preoccupied with my gender identity. Maybe I suspect I’m
different in this respect from most of my friends. At one time, gender identity was not an
issue for all but a tiny number of kids. Now it’s an issue for a lot, but that’s not the main
point. The main point is that if I am a teenager with gender identity concerns then part of
that will involve placing myself on a spectrum of gender gradations. I’m defining myself by
what I am not and I’m probably defining my whole self primarily in terms of gender identity
markers. This means that I’m not foregrounding all the many things I share with my peers –
other aspects of identity, beliefs, preferences, interests and hosts of others that I share with
everybody on the planet. Rather, I’m over-focusing on one thing that’s distinctive about me,
one particular difference.

Becoming-Guise-Wise:
How to dissolve the mental health issues of the young – Dr Michael Waters

The other is about making commonality-first, not difference-first how we should best respond to others – this would be the best legacy for the Queen since this is what she did in her life

She experienced diversity, more than anyone who has ever lived. No one else has been up as close and personal to such a variety of individuals in such a variety of settings. No one else has had more first-hand experience of as many different social and cultural groups. Who else has made official visits to over 117 countries and carried out over 21,000 official engagements, to say nothing of walkabouts and other unscripted exchanges? It’s also clear that she cared deeply for many of those to whom the word “diversity” is usually applied – minorities and the marginalised.

The Queen’s Legacy: Commonality-First – Dr Michael Waters

Workbooks for managing anxiety

I had to share the workbooks that personally helped me with managing anxiety, during the down periods in my life. I still have these on the shelf by my workspace. They proved to be so beneficial in my time of need.

My Bookshelf at home

Final thoughts

I hope you found these tools for managing helpful anxiety. Maybe a book you want to purchase something for yourself or a loved one?

Let me know your favourite book or course – I would love to hear from you in the comments.

managing anxiety

Recent posts on the blog

Feel free to check out some of the other posts on my blog:

Life Won’t Stop Throwing Challenges Our Way So The Key Is Mental Strength

AD / PR – please note – the sessions have been gifted in exchange for my honest thoughts about the process

The theme of mental strength came up in my latest Hypnotherapy session with Kevin. And it’s an important topic I want to explore a little more. 

The fight, flight, and fear responses are triggered by our primitive brain and is essentially a safety mechanism which was useful many years ago. It saved the lives of our ancestors. But is it fit for purpose in today’s modern world? 

I think it’s still useful, but the world has changed dramatically. Let’s be honest, in 2022 the world a scary place. The planet and its inhabitants are unstable and the feeling something bad could happen at any moment is anxiety-inducing in itself. 

Put aside the current condition of the world, and imagine only staying within your family circle. Keeping yourself locked away in your protective bubble. You will still face disagreements, loss, and hurt. There is no avoiding the fact that life will throw us a curve ball, at some point. And it’s only a matter of time. 

Rather than dwell on the fact this unpredictable moment is coming, I have chosen to strengthen my mind. So that, when this situation arises, I can respond and react differently. 

And it’s going really well, so far. I already feel better. But we have lots more work to do in order to build my mental strength. 

mental strength

Previous posts in this series

If you want to follow my hypnotherapy journey, you can check out the two posts below:

Achieving Personal Development – My Journey With Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy

A Powerful Concept – The Ability To Change Our Brain

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mental strength

Your reaction is a choice 

I know these words are true. But it isn’t as simple as just saying this sentence. I certainly don’t feel this way. Currently, I can’t fully control my response to situations that trigger me and this is why I need help to build my mental strength. The science behind hypnotherapy is hugely beneficial, to try to understand how it impacts my thinking (and therefore my behaviours).

At the moment, we are exploring tools to stop the moment anxiety gets out of control and assess the reaction. A lot of research says our reaction is often the thing which causes us the most distress, rather than the event itself. It’s our response to it which is problematic. Obviously in reality it isn’t as simple as this. And the research is more complex than I can explain. 

Your reaction is a choice 

I hope one day soon I will truly feel the full impact of these words and I can shout them from the rooftops. And fully take control of every reaction I have in life. That’s the goal!

Why choose a therapist to assist you in building mental strength?

There are some people out there who believe you can read a book, or watch YouTube videos to become an expert, I was previously one of them. However, some experiences you need to be guided through. Especially when we are talking about accessing and changing the subconscious mind.

Hypnotherapy is about understanding how the brain works. Knowledge is power. But there is a lot to learn and this can only be done properly by taking it one step at a time. In this respect, weekly or fortnightly sessions provide enough time to consume the information and provide meaning.

I have to put the work in!

Kevin provides me with tools to do my own work. He’s like a guide. How much of the reading I choose to do in between sessions and how many trance recordings I practice in my own time, is completely up to me.

The work we complete during the sessions is also dependent on my life circumstances and the people around me and how I form relationships. We are also looking at the problems I currently face in being able to fully thrive as a person.

Final thoughts

I think people often go to therapy thinking someone will fix them (I did in the past) but change doesn’t happen without the individual wanting to make a change and working to do it. 

If you want to start your journey of change, you can book a FREE discovery call with Kevin here.

WANT TO WORK WITH ME

Check out a summary of my blog stats, the brands I have worked with and recent feedback I’ve received.

For collaborations, or any other queries you can contact mummyconqueringanxiety@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Using Self Hypnosis To Achieve Life Goals – Perma Hypnotherapy

AD – long-term collaboration/series of blog posts

I will soon be coming to the end of my Hypnotherapy course. What a journey it’s been. 

I feel totally transformed as a person, and I wanted to provide a further update on where I am. Both with my self hypnosis skills and my current life situation. Read on for more details about Perma Hypnotherapy and how to book your therapist!

self hypnosis

I don’t recognise the person I am now. But I am so happy to meet this new version of myself. And my only intention now is to keep progressing in life. Dealing with stress when it arises and becoming resilient to the challenges life throws our way.

Hard work pays off

To clarify, this journey has been long, enjoyable, difficult at times and emotionally exhausting. You can’t expect to change your subconscious brain, or master self hypnosis, without an impact on your emotional energy. This is the nature of inner work. It takes time and effort to make significant changes.

However, regular breaks in between sessions and a whole heap of self-care have helped. 

Booking a therapist 

Should you decide now is the time to improve your life, I recommend having a therapist to guide you. It enables boundaries to be set, a slow, methodical approach to the work you are doing. Agreed sessions help me to remain focused and accountable. 

Also, the wealth of knowledge I’ve been given by Kevin just isn’t something I could have picked up from Google or textbooks. I wouldn’t know where to look. I think it’s important to have a qualified guide who can adapt the work you do, to your individual needs.

Following this great course, I now have the tools I need to move forward with self-hypnosis.

Self hypnosis

Practice makes perfect, in any area of life. Now I’m at the end of the process, I’ve cut down my meditation time, from 40 minutes to just six. Which means I can still fit it in around a busy lifestyle. More importantly, I’ve taught myself a technique for reducing the stress life causes. 

Recent past VS future self

The Perma model is all about looking to the future and creating the version of ourselves which serves us best. One of the exercises we completed was looking at a recent past image and also a happy one I could envision for the future. During my sessions, I had the recent past image of too many things going around in my head and being overwhelmed. Then a really happy memory had been playing with a balloon with my little one at soft play.

I wanted to create a visual – and you can see the difference…

self hypnosis

I am actively creating a happy image whenever I can fit in family time and memory-making. But I am under no illusions about the reality of anxiety. It will always be here. It’s a mechanism that can help people, with me it just needs a bit of control. Something I am now equipped to do moving forward.

Life update 

From an anxious, nervous wreck, to a more confident person. I’ve applied for another job position I’ve wanted to do for a while. Really, it’s my dream job and means the career change I made back in May was the correct decision and has led me to this point.

From where I was mentally and career-wise, this is huge progress. I am proud of myself. Something I’ve probably never said before! Ever.

Final thoughts

Finally, my wants and desires are lined up with my priorities and goals. All because I am being open and honest, putting the work into myself and finally standing up and taking the opportunities I want. 

I don’t recognise the person I am now. But I am so happy to meet this new version of myself. And my only intention now is to keep progressing in life. Dealing with stress when it arises and becoming resilient to the challenges life throws our way.

perma hypnotherapy

Achieving Personal Development with Perma Hypnotherapy

AD / PR – please note – the sessions have been gifted in exchange for my honest thoughts about the process

Earlier in the week, I posted on social media about an exciting zoom meeting I had. I promised further details. Well, here they are. Welcome to Perma hypnotherapy.

If you follow my blog, and my second blog, you’ll know I’m on a journey of transformation. When you go through life-changing events, it’s inevitable you will change in some way. I’ve tried to use my challenging circumstances to my advantage. I’m on my way to achieving personal development.

perma hypnotherapy

Whilst I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, there is still work to be done and I’ve been looking for a solution for a while.

Now I’ve found one. 

Introducing Kevin Whitelaw

Kevin is an accredited Solution Focused Hypnotherapist from Edinburgh, Scotland and a member of the  Association for Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy.

You may be experiencing issues such as anxiety, poor sleep, imposter syndrome, depression, or rebuilding after a significant life change or you’re ready to invest in yourself: developing new skills to sustain your well-being. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy supports you in moving forward to live your best life.

Having managed these issues himself, Kevin is well-placed to understand the challenges of turning that vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle and going on to build a new – better – life. 

His services include Solution Focused Hypnotherapy sessions online at affordable prices. He even offers a free, no obligation, discovery call to understand your situation and establish how he can best help you.

So, if you’re experiencing these issues, or are ready to invest in yourself, a session with Kevin will help you find your answers and feel more confident with the path in front of you.

Kevin can be reached via Perma Hypnotherapy and directly at kevin@permahypnotherapy.co.uk

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perma hypnotherapy

What is solution-focused hypnotherapy?

As the name would suggest, solution-focused hypnotherapy looks to help people achieve positive change. Rather than focusing on the ‘problem’, this approach centres around the solution. Using practical strategies, solution-focused hypnotherapy looks to inspire change in a relatively short period of time.

Hypnotherapy Directory

Why I am excited about this new approach to achieving personal development

Some of the points we discussed which particularly resonated with me, were the solution-focused sessions. I no longer want to fixate on the past, but I do want some tools to become a better person for myself and my family. Toddlers are impressionable and this is a key time in my little one’s life. Naturally, I want to set a great example for her. 

I’m taking you on this journey with me. From now on you will see regular blog posts and updates about my sessions. I don’t know where this journey will lead me. But I am certain it will help me improve.

perma hypnotherapy

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