Posts, page 4 of 4

Someone asked me recently if I read fiction. They seemed troubled that I'm always recommending work-related books. The answer is yes, I read fiction, mainly in the dead of night, as tool to help me back to sleep. Here's some of the books I've read recently:

  • Quicksand by Steve Tolz
  • Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
  • Normal People by Sally Rooney
  • Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
  • The Sense Of An Ending by Julian Barnes

I'm currently reading Black Water Lillies by Michel Bussi.

And these books are on my physical or audio bookshelf waiting to be read:

  • The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
  • Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, read by John Malkovich
  • Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola, read by Kate Winslet

Simple tools that work in crisis.

  1. Recognise what you don't have control of
  2. Write a journal to give you clarity over competing anxious feelings, thoughts and what is known/unknown in reality
  3. Get your heartrate up for at least 20 minutes per day, preferably outside
  4. Practice 7/11 breathing technique for 5 minutes
  5. Do things that comfort and soothe you

Our body is a system. Do these things daily to keep it in balance.

Courtesy of Julia Samuel on the Tortoise podcast.