At the beginning of a new year, it’s common to make goals to better your self and your life. So where to start? Warner Library has recently added some self care books to Libby via Overdrive, our ebook database available to all Eastern students. Here are some books from our newest collection:

“‘For most of us,’ writes Anna Borges, ‘self-care is a wide spectrum of decisions and actions that soothe and fortify us against all the shit we deal with.’ You may already practice some form of self-care, whether it’s taking an extra-long shower after a stressful day, splurging on a ~fancy~ dinner, or choosing Netflix over that friend-of-a-friend’s birthday party. But when life gets so overwhelming that you want to stay in bed, some more radical care is crucial to maintain your sanity.

“The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care is here to help you exist in the world. Borges gathers over 200 tips, activities, and stories (from experts and everyday people alike) into an A-to-Z list―from asking for help and burning negative thoughts to the importance of touch and catching some Zzz’s. Make any day a little more OK with new skills in your self-care toolkit―and energy to show up for yourself.”

“Anxiety…

“It might be the weight on your shoulders, the constant sense of worry by your side, or the cloud of dread hanging over your life. For many, anxiety is a powerful giant wanting to trap you in darkness and defeat.

“But there is freedom to be found from its grip.

“Knowing firsthand the realities of anxiety, pastor Louie Giglio shares both practical and spiritual ways to live in victory. With encouragement and hope, this book will equip you with the cross of Jesus as your strongest weapon against anxiety by:

• Understanding the root of your anxiety
• Quickly recognizing and addressing anxious thoughts
• Replacing fear and stress with hope and peace”

“Anxiety can be debilitating, but Jesus has already defeated its stronghold. Find true rest in the Prince of Peace and break free from anxiety.”

Let’s get real. Stress is part of every teen’s life — stress of exams, college applications, a big game, difficult teachers, difficult friends, parents who don’t always get you, not to mention the dating and social scenes. Stress like this tends to build over time—week after week—and takes a toll on your mental health.

But, great news! Learning stress-busting skills doesn’t take much time at all. Just 20 minutes a day is probably all it takes. The skills in this book are easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere — on the bus, before bed, or during lunch. Once you see that it helps, you’ll adjust and be ready bust more stress. And then before you realize it—you’ve got it!

Written by cognitive-behavioral therapist and stress-busting expert, Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, this book teaches concrete skills for managing stress and anxiety, organized into “stress domains” such as family, friends, dating, school, and tech/media. And because stress doesn’t go away when teens hit adulthood, Stress Less will help readers maintain balance and calm as they deal with the ups and downs of life in the months and years to come.

Along with all the perks of becoming an adult come challenges and the need to learn skills that help you self-regulate as you venture into new experiences. Highlighting five key areas of life — physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial — Be You, Only Better offers science- and experience-backed tools and easy-to-implement techniques for success. Skill-building and self-care practices — such as journaling, getting enough sleep and exercise, embracing nature, managing time and money, and practicing gratitude, mindfulness, and optimism — are presented, and each is illustrated with the story of a real young person. These practices will help you create a resilient foundation for your powerful future. You’ll discover a wonderfully accessible lifeline and a realistically inspiring guide to leading — and loving — your best possible life.

Anxiety is a powerful force. It makes us question our decisions and ourselves, worry about the future, and it fills our days with dread and emotional turbulence. But what if we understood that anxiety is merely a trick of the mind, trying to convince us we’re in danger? Anxiety is like a magician behind the curtain, playing subtle tricks on us to convince us that we’re in danger when we’re not. When we understand this, we can observe our anxious feelings with some distance.

Based on the author’s popular book, The Worry Trick, this helpful and humorous guide identifies the “trick” of chronic anxiety, and provides the ten most powerful techniques based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you respond differently to panic, anxiety, worry, and phobias. Once you learn to respond differently to the worry trick, you’ll be able to break the cycle of chronic anxiety for good.

Instead of trying to “manage” your anxiety or push anxious thoughts away—techniques that you’ve probably already discovered don’t work—the ten powerful strategies outlined in this guide will empower you to actually change how you respond to worry and anxiety, so you can get your life back!

Click on the images of the books to access them on Libby via Overdrive. Have a happy, healthy new year!