July 14, 2020 • 9 mins
Are you feeling overwhelmed right now? You aren’t alone. Today we’ll tell why reading books is a simple, inexpensive and easy way to reduce anxiety. Author and “Bookable” podcast host Amanda Stern joins to discuss her favorite books—and offer a few other anti-anxiety tips as well.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something Good
(00:27):
for today. Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed right now? Well,
you're not alone. We're all dealing with the coronavirus, economic crisis,
and a society trying to figure out how to ensure
equality for all of its citizens. But here's a simple,
inexpensive way to restore calm and soothe the nerves. Read
a book. It must work for lots of people because
(00:49):
book sales have been rising worldwide throughout the pandemic. Early on,
there was a great interest in the bucket list books
to read like War and Peace and other masterpieces. Then,
starting in late May, tidle was on race and books
written by black authors surged. So why is reading so effective?
To find out, we turned to Amanda Stern. Amanda knows
from experience that reading can be a lifesaver. She's the
(01:11):
author of the memoir Little Panic Dispatches from an anxious life.
It tells about her childhood living with an undiagnosed panic disorder. Today,
Amanda organizes renowned literary events, and she also hosts the
podcast Bookable, where she interviews established writers and emerging talent.
We spoke to Amanda about advice for dealing with anxiety
through reading, along with a few other helpful tips. Here's
(01:34):
what she had to say. Amanda, thanks so much for
joining us. Well, thanks for having me. So these are
certainly anxious times, and you wrote a memoir about having
anxiety as a child. What did you learn from that
experience and is there anything that might apply to these moments. Well,
you know, it's funny when you have panic disorder or
(01:58):
any sort of anxiety this order, you are actually really
well prepared for times like this because you spend all
your time in preparation for the worst possible scenario, which
we're in. So I think that people with real anxiety
disorders and real panic disorders are actually the people who
(02:20):
are best equipped for this moment because everyone now understands
the actual emotional state of anxiety in a way that
they didn't before, and so everyone with anxiety feels much
more grounded and understood so I think that, um, for
(02:41):
people who are feeling really anxious, those are the folks
who are not used to that feeling. And UM, and
I guess you know. What I learned from a lifetime
of anxiety is that facing what scares you is the
best way to move through it. And so the only
(03:02):
thing I think, UM, I could tell people is that
the more you learn about your anxious state or your
emotional state, the better equipped you'll be for the next
phase of this pandemic. So, UM, I think it's just
an opportunity for everyone to really face their their fears,
(03:25):
and a really good way to do that is to read.
I couldn't agree more. And I think it's really interesting
what you're saying in terms of letting the rest of
the world know what it feels like for those who
have been living with anxiety their entire lives. And I
think that's a really interesting point that you made about
getting to understand your own emotional state, UM, and maybe
understand what's triggering your fears and then and then trying
to face them. Are their practical practices that you've used
(03:48):
coming out of your your life and what you've studied
something that could help someone right now, practical thing that
I do is, um, well, you know, obviously I meditate
to help anxiety, which is a lot of anxious people do.
But some of the simplest ways to meditate are just
imagine you're walking down the street and um, you're feeling
(04:11):
super anxious. When you stop at a red light, put
your hands down to your side. Just put your arms down,
and I want you to drop all your attention and
energy into your index fingers. And when you start feeling
the heat and the sort of the weight in those fingers,
you'll notice that your anxiety has dropped from your head
(04:34):
down to the to the lower half of your body,
and that grounds you and it calms you down. So
it's like a walking meditation you could do when you
stop or just when you're walking, but it's a really
really good thing to practice all the time. Wow, that's
that's super helpful. I mean, that's that seems very practical
because you could do it anywhere you are, at any
time and day, and no one knows, no one knows. Yeah.
(04:56):
So another technique, or as you say, another thing that
can really help us during these times, which can help
us all the time is reading. And you are obviously
an expert, you're a writer, you're a literary event organizer,
you're the host of the podcast Bookable. Which books do
you think are especially relevant, reassuring, or helpful right now? Well,
So for me, Um, I find that when I'm learning
(05:20):
more about something that I either think I understand but
I don't, or that I am desperate to learn more about,
I'm calmed down. So in this moment in life, the
things that are really calming me down and grounding me
are books about race and books written by black authors.
And so my focus has sort of shifted from the
(05:41):
pandemic and quarantine to issues of race. And before my
focus shifted and I was in the sort of pandemic anxiety,
I wasn't actually reading very much. I was I felt
a little bit paralyzed by the sense of emergency in
the world and was not able to actually move forward
(06:02):
with writing or with reading. And when I found something
else solid to hold onto that wasn't the pandemic, I
started to focus more. And reading about race issues has
really grounded me and given me a sense of purpose.
So you particularly like women authors, which we at Seneca
(06:23):
women appreciate. So why are you focused on women authors
and which women authors do you enjoy the most? Well?
I find that, Um, I'm drawn to women authors because
the concerns that they explore tend to be deeper and
more emotionally revealing than men. Um. I mean, of course
I love a lot of male writers, but um, but
(06:43):
reading women for me is just a sort of richer,
more urgent experience. UM. I will read anything written by
Elena Ferrante, UM, Claudia Ranking, who has a new book
coming out in September which I'm excited it about. And
Kathy park Hong, who is an amazing writer. Her book
(07:05):
Minor Feelings came out a couple of months ago and
it's totally exquisite. Um. So I just I get so
much more. I get so much more from women about
the meaning of life, and the meaning of being a
woman in the world, and the meaning of um of
circumstances that I'm don't have access to, or circumstances I
(07:28):
imagine being one way, but you know, a book is
revealing it to be a completely different way. So it's
just an opportunity to get into worlds in a in
a way that I feel men can't quite grasp for
don't care to grasp I'd like to thank Amanda for
a great conversation and for such interesting book recommendations. And
(07:50):
I love that tip about how to calm yourself down anywhere,
stand still and put your hands at your side. So
here's something good for today. We can be less anxious
during this difficult time, and the best way to do
that is to face our fears head on. It's good
to know too that one of the most effective, simple
and low cost tools we have is available to everyone
(08:10):
reading a book. For more great reading recommendations, check out
Amanda's podcast book a Bowl. Thank you for listening, and
please share Today's something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
(08:32):
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Here's Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women podcast network and
I Heart Radio Have a Great Day. For more podcasts
(08:54):
from my heart Radio, check out the I Heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite show.
Euse
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something Good
(00:27):
for today. Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed right now? Well,
you're not alone. We're all dealing with the coronavirus, economic crisis,
and a society trying to figure out how to ensure
equality for all of its citizens. But here's a simple,
inexpensive way to restore calm and soothe the nerves. Read
a book. It must work for lots of people because
(00:49):
book sales have been rising worldwide throughout the pandemic. Early on,
there was a great interest in the bucket list books
to read like War and Peace and other masterpieces. Then,
starting in late May, tidle was on race and books
written by black authors surged. So why is reading so effective?
To find out, we turned to Amanda Stern. Amanda knows
from experience that reading can be a lifesaver. She's the
(01:11):
author of the memoir Little Panic Dispatches from an anxious life.
It tells about her childhood living with an undiagnosed panic disorder. Today,
Amanda organizes renowned literary events, and she also hosts the
podcast Bookable, where she interviews established writers and emerging talent.
We spoke to Amanda about advice for dealing with anxiety
through reading, along with a few other helpful tips. Here's
(01:34):
what she had to say. Amanda, thanks so much for
joining us. Well, thanks for having me. So these are
certainly anxious times, and you wrote a memoir about having
anxiety as a child. What did you learn from that
experience and is there anything that might apply to these moments. Well,
you know, it's funny when you have panic disorder or
(01:58):
any sort of anxiety this order, you are actually really
well prepared for times like this because you spend all
your time in preparation for the worst possible scenario, which
we're in. So I think that people with real anxiety
disorders and real panic disorders are actually the people who
(02:20):
are best equipped for this moment because everyone now understands
the actual emotional state of anxiety in a way that
they didn't before, and so everyone with anxiety feels much
more grounded and understood so I think that, um, for
(02:41):
people who are feeling really anxious, those are the folks
who are not used to that feeling. And UM, and
I guess you know. What I learned from a lifetime
of anxiety is that facing what scares you is the
best way to move through it. And so the only
(03:02):
thing I think, UM, I could tell people is that
the more you learn about your anxious state or your
emotional state, the better equipped you'll be for the next
phase of this pandemic. So, UM, I think it's just
an opportunity for everyone to really face their their fears,
(03:25):
and a really good way to do that is to read.
I couldn't agree more. And I think it's really interesting
what you're saying in terms of letting the rest of
the world know what it feels like for those who
have been living with anxiety their entire lives. And I
think that's a really interesting point that you made about
getting to understand your own emotional state, UM, and maybe
understand what's triggering your fears and then and then trying
to face them. Are their practical practices that you've used
(03:48):
coming out of your your life and what you've studied
something that could help someone right now, practical thing that
I do is, um, well, you know, obviously I meditate
to help anxiety, which is a lot of anxious people do.
But some of the simplest ways to meditate are just
imagine you're walking down the street and um, you're feeling
(04:11):
super anxious. When you stop at a red light, put
your hands down to your side. Just put your arms down,
and I want you to drop all your attention and
energy into your index fingers. And when you start feeling
the heat and the sort of the weight in those fingers,
you'll notice that your anxiety has dropped from your head
(04:34):
down to the to the lower half of your body,
and that grounds you and it calms you down. So
it's like a walking meditation you could do when you
stop or just when you're walking, but it's a really
really good thing to practice all the time. Wow, that's
that's super helpful. I mean, that's that seems very practical
because you could do it anywhere you are, at any
time and day, and no one knows, no one knows. Yeah.
(04:56):
So another technique, or as you say, another thing that
can really help us during these times, which can help
us all the time is reading. And you are obviously
an expert, you're a writer, you're a literary event organizer,
you're the host of the podcast Bookable. Which books do
you think are especially relevant, reassuring, or helpful right now? Well,
So for me, Um, I find that when I'm learning
(05:20):
more about something that I either think I understand but
I don't, or that I am desperate to learn more about,
I'm calmed down. So in this moment in life, the
things that are really calming me down and grounding me
are books about race and books written by black authors.
And so my focus has sort of shifted from the
(05:41):
pandemic and quarantine to issues of race. And before my
focus shifted and I was in the sort of pandemic anxiety,
I wasn't actually reading very much. I was I felt
a little bit paralyzed by the sense of emergency in
the world and was not able to actually move forward
(06:02):
with writing or with reading. And when I found something
else solid to hold onto that wasn't the pandemic, I
started to focus more. And reading about race issues has
really grounded me and given me a sense of purpose.
So you particularly like women authors, which we at Seneca
(06:23):
women appreciate. So why are you focused on women authors
and which women authors do you enjoy the most? Well?
I find that, Um, I'm drawn to women authors because
the concerns that they explore tend to be deeper and
more emotionally revealing than men. Um. I mean, of course
I love a lot of male writers, but um, but
(06:43):
reading women for me is just a sort of richer,
more urgent experience. UM. I will read anything written by
Elena Ferrante, UM, Claudia Ranking, who has a new book
coming out in September which I'm excited it about. And
Kathy park Hong, who is an amazing writer. Her book
(07:05):
Minor Feelings came out a couple of months ago and
it's totally exquisite. Um. So I just I get so
much more. I get so much more from women about
the meaning of life, and the meaning of being a
woman in the world, and the meaning of um of
circumstances that I'm don't have access to, or circumstances I
(07:28):
imagine being one way, but you know, a book is
revealing it to be a completely different way. So it's
just an opportunity to get into worlds in a in
a way that I feel men can't quite grasp for
don't care to grasp I'd like to thank Amanda for
a great conversation and for such interesting book recommendations. And
(07:50):
I love that tip about how to calm yourself down anywhere,
stand still and put your hands at your side. So
here's something good for today. We can be less anxious
during this difficult time, and the best way to do
that is to face our fears head on. It's good
to know too that one of the most effective, simple
and low cost tools we have is available to everyone
(08:10):
reading a book. For more great reading recommendations, check out
Amanda's podcast book a Bowl. Thank you for listening, and
please share Today's something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
(08:32):
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Here's Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women podcast network and
I Heart Radio Have a Great Day. For more podcasts
(08:54):
from my heart Radio, check out the I Heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite show.
Euse
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