CBA Record May-June 2021

How I am Achieving Calm During Anxious Times

By Bonnie McGrath

M y quest to fight my chronic anxiety began last year during the pandemic, coming to a head as I walked through my neighbor- hoodTarget to the electronics department to find a fix for an internet cable problem. If the pandemic didn’t already have me at a heightened state of anxiety, the neces- sary trip to fix my in-home technological problem did. On the way to the electronics depart- ment, I passed a rack of books that were on sale. One caught my eye. It had a pretty cover and it was called Create Your Own Calm—A Journal for Quieting Anxiety by Meera Lee Patel. Oh, sure, I thought. A book fromTarget at 20% off is going to fix a problem I’ve had all my life. So I proceeded to electron- ics, vowing, as always, to just live with my anxiety, as I had been for many decades. And I ignored the book. But I couldn’t get it out of my mind as I discussed what exact gadget the sales- person thought would solve my computer problem. My anxiety soared as I imagined

what might happen when I tried to install it when I got home. I raced back to the book rack, actually picked up the book, and thumbed through it. What made me decide to get it was that it was just as pretty on the inside—with colorful, peaceful and interesting illustra- tions. I figured, what have I got to lose? So, I brought it home and read it cover to cover. Did reading this book calmmy anxiety? To an extent, yes. But it’s not magic. Would I do it again? I would. Its structure is interesting. There are no page numbers. Childlike crayon drawings are on the left-side pages, with a profound quote by a celebrity from the literary, religious, or political world. A handful of random sayings are included without a source—which I suspect are from the author herself. To give readers insight into what causes their anxiety, the right-side pages contain exercises that are based in some way on the quotes on the left side. Sources of the quotes (47 total) are listed in the back of the book.

Create Your Own Calm: A Journal for Quieting Anxiety

By Meera Lee Patel Paperback – September 22, 2020 Published by TarcherPerigee

30 May/June 2021