Generation Anxiety
A Millennial and Gen Z Guide to Staying Afloat in an Uncertain World
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
From licensed clinical psychologist and TikTok therapist Dr. Lauren Cook comes this practical, relatable guide for millennials and Gen Z-ers struggling with anxiety.
Millennials and Gen Z-ers are considered two of the most anxious generations in history. With many intense generation-specific stressors facing them in recent years – from climate change to political polarization, systemic racism, gun violence, financial instability and so much more – it’s easy to see why more and more people are being diagnosed with anxiety at alarming rates.
Taking a feminist and intersectional lens, Dr. Lauren Cook shares her own struggles with anxiety and provides easy, actionable steps to ride the waves of anxiety rather than constantly swimming against them. Chapters show you how you can learn to embrace anxiety, find those who can help you, incorporate preventative self-care strategies and stay afloat when it feels like anxiety is overwhelming you. Exercises include doing inner child work, gratitude lists, mindfulness for body neutrality and much more.
This relatable, honest and information-packed book incorporates thorough, evidence-backed psychological research and diverse client experiences to illustrate a broad range of presentations of anxiety and help readers gain insight into their own stressors and effectively work through anxiety.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Psychologist and TikTokker Cook debuts with an accessible resource that urges readers to combat their anxiety by taking "purposeful action" to "decide how we want to live our lives" in the face of anxiety rather than trying to eradicate it. While anxiety can make it seem as though "we're in completely unknown waters," Cook writes, "riding the wave" of the emotion can decrease one's distress, as the sufferer is no longer stymied by fear. Presenting examples of patients who worked to avoid "drowning" in their stresses, Cook describes how Luis grappled with his debilitating obsessive compulsive disorder through "exposure and response prevention therapy," which entails progressively acclimating to one's fears (Luis, whose OCD involved cleanliness-based obsessions, might progress from "not sanitizing groceries" to "only showering once a day"), while Colleen sought relief from bipolar disorder symptoms through gratitude practices, which can correct for the brain's tendency to "skew negative" and help the sufferer understand that "pain and joy" can exist side by side. Elsewhere, Cook outlines more general self-care interventions, including upping one's vitamin D and B12 intake and improving sleep hygiene. Cook's anxiety-managing practices are wise and lucidly explained, and readers will be emboldened by her message that fear and bravery aren't antithetical. This strikes a skillful balance between compassion and practicality.