A funny, moving memoir filled with so many a-ha moments that I had a hard time putting it down.
Hilariously witty, unflinchingly honest, and brimming with hope.
A fascinating, thorough, and truly helpful book. I loved it!
Martin, founder of online writing community Words of Women, debuts with a thoughtful take on how to prevent emotional responses from becoming negative moods. Feeling frustrated or anxious is universal, Martin writes, and overcoming such feelings is the key to living one’s best life. To that end, she outlines strategies to mentally and emotionally reset, through small acts like taking the time to spoil oneself or giving oneself permission to walk away from an aggravating situation. Martin also shares how she came to recognize and deal with emotional triggers: “My triggers were the unique set of things that had the power to push my buttons. If I could avoid my triggers, I could avoid the emotions that would follow.” Martin’s buoyant tone will help any reader break out of a funk: “Becoming a strong woman is like becoming a self-made millionaire: It doesn’t happen overnight".
Martin blends science, philosophy, witty anecdotes and effective forms of self-care to show readers that you can turn your worst moods into your best life.
Words of Women founder Lauren Martin delves into the relationship women have with negativity in her smart and often funny self-help tome The Book of Moods. Martin explores her own struggles with anxiety and feelings of inferiority, alongside the science behind moods, to offer practical advice on how to practice effective self-care when negativity starts creeping in.
In a memoir that is transparent and authentic, Martin walks us through all of the moods…Martin’s prose also embraces and celebrates womanhood, just when we need it most.
Synopsis
Five years ago, Lauren Martin was sure something was wrong with her. She had a good job in New York, an apartment in Brooklyn, a boyfriend, yet every day she wrestled with feelings of inferiority, anxiety and irritability. It wasn’t until a chance encounter with a (charming, successful) stranger who revealed that she also felt these things, that Lauren set out to better understand the hold that these moods had on her, how she could change them, and began to blog about the wisdom she uncovered. It quickly exploded into an international online community of women who felt like she did: lost, depressed, moody, and desirous of change.
Inspired by her audience to press even deeper, The Book of Moods shares Lauren’s journey to infuse her life with a sense of peace and stability. With observations that will resonate and inspire, she dives into the universal triggers every woman faces — whether it’s a comment from your mother, the relentless grind at your job, days when you wish the mirror had a Valencia filter, or all of the above. Blending cutting-edge science, timeless philosophy, witty anecdotes and effective forms of self-care, Martin has written a powerful, intimate, and incredibly relatable chronicle of transformation, proving that you really can turn your worst moods into your best life.