Welcome! And thank you for reading along with me!
In my therapy work, I come across great books of inspiration, wellness techniques, healing, self-growth and self-improvement that are too good to keep to myself. The authors are fellow therapists, researchers, wellness professionals and everyday people who have endured pain, challenges, trauma, mental health diagnoses and have overcome.
I share these recommended books with my clients and now I get to share them with you!
We launch our What We Are Reading section with one of my favorites—social worker and researcher Brene Brown’s latest book Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. Brown is the leading researcher on vulnerability, courage and shame and through her works, she provides what she calls guideposts to Wholehearted Living, where she shares strategies to living a more authentic life, empowers us to embrace our stories and imperfections and teaches us to have courage and vulnerability to accept our emotions and selves.
And if you are like me and love people’s stories, her books go beyond the research and stats and are full of personal stories of others and herself that demonstrate the challenges she presents and exemplify how to apply the strategies she proposes.
What can you find in Braving the Wilderness? Well, I am not going to give it all away, you have to read along. But here is a brief reason why I can’t pull myself away from the book to a point that I have fallen asleep with it by my side. In essence, as the title suggests the book is about what true belonging means to you, me and us and how to find it. What I find relevant about what I have read so far are the recommendations for how to stand strong in the world we currently live in. I find myself pulled in on the pages that provide guidance about how to maintain civility, compassion, grace and love among division, difference of opinions, values and convictions. In a world where we may be tempted to silence an opinion opposite to ours, this book raises consciousness about listening, working to understanding difference and being the best selves despite the challenges around us.
Enjoy reading!
Xoxo
Cheryl.