I am delighted to share my review today of Crazy Busy by Thijs Launspach. I am not a big fan of self-help books but occasionally I do pick them up, it is good to stop and remind myself to clear my head once in a while.

Abolish stress. Rediscover joy. Replenish your energy.

In Crazy Busy acclaimed psychologist Thijs Launspach examines why we often work ourselves to the bone and what we can do to prevent this. He explains how to cope with stress and create more peace and calm in your life. He draws on the latest scientific knowledge, the methods used by experts and the stories told by those who have learned the hard way what stress can do to both body and mind. All to provide you with the answer to the question: how can you free yourself from a life of stress?

A full diary and no time to think; the feeling that you are always playing catch-up and never quite hitting the mark: our lives today are almost invariably crazy busy. Being busy is one of the hallmarks of the modern era. But the pressure is taking its toll on us.

The number of burnouts has risen dramatically over the past ten years. In fact, it has now reached epidemic proportions: approximately one in seven of all workers suffers badly from stress or has been forced to take a break from work because of stress-related complaints. And even if you don’t reach the actual burnout stage, stress can still make your life a lot less enjoyable.

Why are our lives so hectic? Have we all become workaholics? Why are we so susceptible to FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out)? And most importantly, what can you do to cope with the stress in your life and prevent burnout?

• Do you find yourself rushing to get things finished more than once a week?
• Do others often offer you well-intentioned advice on ‘how to slow things down a little’.
• Do you ever suspect that the stress you feel prevents you from being as happy as you would like to be?
• Are you more addicted to your smartphone than you would care to admit? Is it the first thing you reach for when you wake up in the morning?
• Do you often find yourself longing to stop and take a break from it all?

If your answer to one or more of these questions is ‘Yes’, then this is the book for you.

MY REVIEW

With lifestyles getting busier it is often overlooked how much our heads work overtime. Often forgetting to take a break from screens, TVs tablets and other electrical gadgets. Taking time to turn off and focus on ourselves is something that is essential to our well-being and helps our mental health.

This book is laid out nicely and in a non-preachy way. I like how the author gives alternatives to everyday situations. I think many of us have found ourselves scrolling through the channels looking for something to watch only to find ourselves watching an old favourite. How much time is wasted trying to find something to watch when we are inundated with so many choices?

Using this book to point out the obvious is great, sometimes we are not aware of the obvious and so using a book is oftentimes a great way of stopping and taking notice.

While reading through sections of this I found myself nodding in agreement with some of the situations that the author points out. It comes back to recognising patterns and being aware of the obvious.

I like this book and it is one that can be dipped in and out of or read cover to cover. Insightful and helpful and one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thijs Launspach (1988) is a psychologist and author. He teaches at The School of Life Amsterdam, is a trainer and keynote speaker on stress and burnout and writes a weekly column for a national newspaper in the Netherlands.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx