When my anxiety started spinning badly again, I reached for books I knew would help quell my fears and calm my spinning head. Robert Holden is an author that can make that happen for me. A British psychologist with a radio show on the self-help, new-agey internet radio station Hay House, he offers a mix of real-life advice and grounded spirituality to help people find success, happiness, and love. A tall order, I realize, but every little bit helps.
The book I'm reading now is Shift Happens. His idea is that life is not what happens to us. It's not about our attitude toward what happens. It's that we are what is happening. It's not up to us to make anything out of reality. It's up to us to make reality. That is the shift. We are not at the mercy of the universe; we are the creators of our universe. It's not an easy shift to make, but every step closer makes my anxiety smaller.
Holden's words are gentle and calming, soothing and empowering. By encouraging readers to focus on the present, he shows us how the past, along with all of its pains and fears, can fall to the side. There are chapters on forgiveness, fear, happiness, martyrdom, grievances, laughter, defenses, assertiveness, and healing, among others.
I'm still reading this book. While it's easy to read, and you certainly could sit and read it all the way through in just one or two sittings, I prefer to read it just a chapter or two at a time. In the morning, when I'm thinking through my day, or when I'm feeling the anxiety or unhappiness rise in my gut, I can pull this book back out and read just enough to bring me back to the moment.
If you're looking for a self-help type book to help you focus on self-care, to shift from fear thinking to happiness, Robert Holden is a great place to start. And if you're ready for the change from caterpillar to butterfly, then remember that Shift Happens.