Why Mindfulness Apps Might Be Making You More Anxious

Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab (October 15, 2024)

Therapist and bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab captured my attention with her titles Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships so much that I always have them on my desk. It's one of the reasons I'm so excited to dive into her new book, Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace, next month!

It's almost as if she has secret intel, with all the precious nuggets she'll share that will help us center ourselves during tough moments. From friendly reminders to loving, but firm nudges, Tawwab provides guidance on everything from boundaries to finding joy during every moment.

Slowing: Discover Wonder, Beauty, and Creativity Through Slow Living by Rachel Schwartzmann

Author and Slow Stories podcast host Rachel Schwartzmann is here to remind us to slow TF down. Between receiving new information at the speed of light and having busy schedules, it's no wonder we're so stressed! Instead of being controlled by work and business, Schwartzmann wants us to reimagine the way we live and create.

She has poignant essays about the positive effects of slowing down — plus, she introduces readers to other voices who have insight about their own experiences with doing so! There are even "guided practices" to help reignite our introspection and creativity through journaling.

The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power by Katherine Morgan Schafler

Perfectionists, we've been summoned with a guide that wants to give us permission to stop trying to control everything. It's so funny — this book landed on my radar after stressing about how I haven't felt in control for a long time. See how life works?

Anyway, psychotherapist Morgan Schafler knows we've been spoon-fed ideology about having balance in our lives, and feels like it's actually not helpful in the long run. She even helps categorize different versions of perfectionism: classic, intense, Parisian, messy, and procrastinator. Yes, that's right. Your procrastinating habit is rooted in perfectionism.

Instead of telling you to get rid of a part of who you are, Schafler breaks down why we respond to things a certain way and teaches how to live life so that our perfectionism doesn't necessarily control every single thing we do.

The Secret Language of the Body by Jennifer Mann and Karden Rabin

Do you know the role our nervous systems plays in our bodies? It's basically our in-house communication center for messages between our brains and bodies. It's what triggers or flight or fight mode, which comes in handy if we're trying to escape a bristly bear in the woods, but does nothing for us if we're upset someone cut us in line at Starbucks. Little moments like that lead to nervous system dysregulation and can cause a lot of pain.

Mind-body practitioners Jen Mann and Karden Rabin wrote The Secret Language of the Body as way to help us understand what truly goes on in our nervous systems. They dive into topics like somatic therapy, Polyvagal theory, and how our minds and bodies are connected so we can stop living in survival mode.

The Joy of Saying No by Natalie Lue

You know what's even harder to navigate life with besides perfectionism? It's being a people pleaser and considering everyone else's feelings before you think about your own.

The Joy of Saying No aims to explain how this is often rooted in our childhoods from being known as the good kid to the one who believes overachieving makes them more likable. It's true these roles served a function, but they can also stop us from being who we are as adults. Natalie Lue wants to help us recognize how we continue to operate in people-pleasing mode via six steps so we can reset our connection to others.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA

I'm going to talk about this book forever! It's one of my go-to reads when I'm experiencing so much burnout I can barely think straight. Sisters Emily Nagoski, Phd and Amelia Nagoski, DMA know that burnout isn't a new phenomenon — nor are they claiming it is. What they do know is too many women continue to experience it and are determined to help us change course.

There's lessons about how to move through our natural biological stress cycles, check in with our brains when we're frustrated, and get intimate with our inner critics who live to remind us that we're not doing enough. It's written so beautifully that you'll feel like you're talking to a friend who majored in psychology, but still has the same down-to-earth attitude you first encountered as kids.

The Sugar Jar: Create Boundaries, Embrace Self-Healing, and Enjoy the Sweet Things in Life by Yasmine Cheyenne

Yasmine Cheyenne's Sugar Jar metaphor is one of the easiest ways for us to realize how depleted we can become if we're not managing our boundaries and healing. From leaving our proverbial jars open, we become subject to energy vampires and moments we don't recognize we need to replenish ourselves until we're on the brink of burnout.

She teaches us how to understand what makes us feel exhausted, how we can press reset, and break up with our own negative habits. Also, she taps into our people-pleasing tendencies so we can find healthier ways to show up for ourselves and others.

What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World by Prentis Hemphill

Prentis Hemphill knows the past few years have left everyone feeling off balance which is why What It Takes to Heal was written. It's a call-to-arms to remind us that our healing isn't optional if we want to move forward in the world.

You'll learn how to pay attention to how our body responds to certain things, including our own habits, and you'll figure out how to stop bearing the weight of emotional burdens. But instead of being in isolation, Hemphill encourages you to embrace being part of a community.

Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is offering helpful insights for how to being nurturing ourselves in Sacred Self-Care. As a psychologist, pastor, and activist, she's seen how hard it is for people to maintain a self-care practice that helps them navigate life.

As such, she's developed a seven-week guide filled with practices and activities that hone in on our emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health. With each passing day, you'll receive journal prompts and scriptures that will help set the tone for the day. It's like a devotional from a psychologist's perspective and that can be great if you rely on both therapy as well as religion to get through your days.

You Are Only Just Beginning: Lessons for the Journey Ahead by Morgan Harper Nichols

Morgan Harper Nichols hasn't shied away from sharing her story and encouraging words with others on Instagram which is why it makes sense she's written You Are Only Just Beginning: Lessons for the Journey Ahead. She wants to help us embrace adventurous moments while sharing reminders that hard moments are temporary.

Sometimes all we need is a little courage to keep going when things feel bleak.

The Book of Moods: How I Turned My Worst Emotions Into My Best Life by Lauren Martin

Have you ever felt burdened by mood swings? If so, I completely understand because I often question my own and so did author Lauren Martin. She hit a wall a few years ago even though it seemed like her life was perfect on the surface. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake feeling inferior of irritable. It wasn't only she crossed paths with another successful stranger who felt the same that Lauren begin to seek to understand her emotions.

The Book of Moods: How I Turned My Worse Emotions Into My Best Life is a recollection of Lauren's journey and how she learned to find peace. She talks about varying triggers everyone has faced and blends her own wisdom with science-backed evidence to help us make informed decisions.

Self-Care for Moms by Sara Robinson, MA

Moms are often praised for our ability to be self-sacrificing and resilient in the face of hardship, but I'd be lying if I said it felt like people seem to forget we're human. We do care a lot and have the warm nurturing nature everyone talks about, but we also have our limits lest we fall victim to burnout.

Self-Care for Moms offers over 100 activities designed to remind moms how to pour into ourselves daily. Whether it's a 5-minute phone call or hour lunch with a friend sans kids, it's time for us to reclaim the way we care for ourselves.

How We Heal: Uncover Your Power and Set Yourself Free by Alexandra Elle

Alexandra Elle has shared her moving anecdotes with the internet since Tumblr, eventually becoming a bestselling author who continues to remind us to come home to ourselves. In How We Heal, she aims to help us rediscover peace by focusing on healing.

Broken into four parts, you'll find everything from journal prompts to meditations that tackle our innermost emotions. She even shares bits of her personal experiences so you feel less alone.

Dare to Feel: The Transformational Path of the Heart by Alexandra Roxo

If you're on the other spectrum of emotions that includes burying them, Dare to Feel encourages you to do the opposite. Although you may feel repulsed by the idea of cracking your heart open, trust that it's metaphorical. This is an invitation to connect with yourself, life, and others past a superficial level. You'll come across poems, meditations, and more that help you fall in love with being in tune with your emotions in this moving book.

Girl On Fire: How to Choose Yourself, Burn the Rule Book, and Blaze Your Own Trail in Life and Business by Cara Alwill Leyba

What's self-care without a reminder that you are THAT GIRL? Instead of questioning your worth, Girl on Fire wants you to start remembering who you truly are.

From encouraging you to not see other women as competition to offering tips for how to navigate the vision you have in your heart, you'll learn how not to let life and business get you down.

You'll feel empowered by the end of Girl on Fire and that's the point!

The video, which currently has 1.3 million likes and 4.5 million views, reveals that Maddy had been desiring more friendships when she met an older woman named Kathy at a gas station. "Now [we] see each other multiple times a week, go on lunch dates, and are best friends," she says in the video caption.

Maddy and Kathy's relationship inspired viewers to think about their own relationships in a new way, and even led to some of Maddy's followers donating money to buy Kathy new furniture! "You showed her that it's never too late to meet someone amazing in your life," one comment says, while another reads, "My sweet grandma passed away last year and some older lady adopted me and it's been so healing."

What are the benefits of multigenerational friendships?

Friendship Expert and Life Coach Shari Leid reveals that intergenerational friendships can benefit older generations just as much as younger generations. "Seeing the world from different angles—through the experiences and history of the older generation and the fresh ideas and openness of the younger generation—is truly enlightening," she says. "The older generation brings a sense of reassurance that things will work out, while the younger generation embodies the boldness to try something new."

Leid experienced this firsthand during her 50 States Project, where she met with a different woman in each state to find similarities between us all. "The beauty of getting older, I realized, lies in the opportunity to continuously make new friends," she adds.

I was overjoyed to learn that not only can friendship influence our experiences, but it can actually benefit our minds and bodies too. "In Blue Zones, where people live longer and healthier lives, the secret often lies in their relationships," Leid says. "The laughter shared with friends, which isn’t always possible in the workplace or other relationships, acts as a vital mental health fix. This happiness reduces stress hormones that can be damaging to our bodies, enhancing our overall well-being."

How to be closer to friends?

While it's so easy to get into a routine of work, chores, and bedtime (it is entirely possible for me to go multiple days without seeing another person), that mental health fix is just another reason it's important to prioritize friendships. And Leid says growing roots with the people you love all comes down to two supposedly simple concepts: time and conversation.

"It’s about being there for each other, sharing personal experiences, and being open," she says. Leid recommends seeing each other in person, and making time for phone calls to hear each other's voices. "Friendship thrives on small gestures—checking in, spending time, and being consistent. It doesn’t require grand gestures. The accumulation of small, thoughtful actions strengthens the bond, creating a tapestry of connection and support that enriches our lives."

If you're thinking that sounds a lot easier said than done, you're not alone. Dr. Leid shares a few thought-starters for helping deepen relationships. "Go deeper with your conversations by asking about their childhood," she adds. "These shared conversations open up a level of intimacy that goes beyond casual friendships. They deepen relationships, making friends feel more connected and helping you understand each other better."

And the more you understand and care about each other, the deeper your relationship will go. Check out our Questions For Friends andQuestions To Avoid Painful Small Talk for more ideas on where to start!

"I love Hilarie,” she says. “I have always and will always and I don’t have any problem with her...There have been some bizarre misunderstandings that I really hope we can figure out one day, but I love that girl."

The "bizarre misunderstandings" in question could be related to political views and artistic differences. On February 29, the same day Lenz announced Dinner for Vampires, Hilarie Burton posted a graphic claiming "Imitation isn't the highest form of flattery," which some fans considered a reference to the similarities between their two book covers. Deuxmoi also claims the Tree Hill alums clash over LGBTQ+ views.

Rumors of a feud intensified when Burton announced she was stepping back from the One Tree Hill rewatch podcast Drama Queens (which she co-hosted with Lenz and Sophia Bush). “We have reached the end of my behind-the-scenes experience on the show, and so I really started to question what I brought to this, but also how we keep that storytelling alive and important,” Burton said on the July 8 episode.

This decision to leave the show, and be replaced by Robert Buckley, confused fans even further. "We already had to experience the heartbreak of Hilarie leaving/getting kicked off the show as a regular. And now the podcast?" one Instagram comment reads. "Hilarie adds WAY too much entertainment to the show, we need her."

"Hilarie was very much looking forward to watching season 7 through 9 way back at the start of the podcast," another adds. "Disappointing 😞"

While Bethany Joy Lenz' appearance on Call Her Daddy provides OTH fans with plenty of behind-the-scenes details (like the how the "most iconic" Nathan & Haley moment was that kiss in the rain), she also talks about being part of the Big House Family Cult — and how she basically "disappeared for 10 years."

While there was "nothing to be suspicious about" at first, her experience in the group morphed into something that left her isolated and dealing with the effects of PTSD.

"The stakes were so high," she tells People. "They were my only friends. I was married into this group. I had built my entire life around it. If I admitted that I was wrong...everything else would come crumbling down."

Despite the fact the group convinced her she couldn't trust her One Tree Hill costars, Bethany Joy Lenz has had plenty of opportunities to bond with them since the show wrapped in 2012. In addition to Drama Queens, the One Tree Hill cast recently reunited for OTH Day in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they shot the show.

"Dangit, I love spending time with my Tree Hill family!" Lenz said in an Instagram post. "THANK YOU to everyone who came out! It never gets old visiting Tree Hill and seeing the love you guys continue showing all of us."

And while news of a sequel series was leaked in September, both Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz say it's "too early" to confirm who will be returning. Stay tuned for the latest news!

Can't get enough of One Tree Hill? Check out why This One Moment Proves Brooke Davis Is The Best Character.