Tag: self help

Monica’s Musings: What Happened To You?

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

“So I’m not crazy?” “No. Your brain is doing exactly what you would expect it to do considering what you lived through.”
― Oprah Winfrey, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Summary: Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

Here, Winfrey shares stories from her past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it allows us to understand our pasts to clear a path to our future—opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven powerful way.

My Thoughts: This book has something for everyone, and I highly recommend it! You absolutely should go with the audiobook for this one. Oprah narrates it along with Dr. Perry, and it is almost like listening to an in-depth podcast. There are scientific facts tied to real-life examples and experiences that keep you interested while also helping you better understand the concepts.

The discussions of the brain were well-done and easy for a layperson like me to understand. I appreciated the wide variety of stories Oprah and Perry shared that illustrate the impact trauma has on a person. Everyone has a reason as to why they are the way they are, and this is a good book to start digging deeper into that.

Dylan’s Book Recommendation: Drive

Drive by Daniel H. Pink

First line: In the middle of the last century, two young scientists conducted experiments that should’ve changed the world–but did not.

Summary: Drive is an eye opening writing that explores the triggers of motivation, and compares different motivating factors to their short term results, long term results, and end results. Mostly the book compares extrinsic and intrinsic motivating factors, and how they can be best utilized to accomplish something. Showing that in most cases, extrinsic motivation is not good for long term success, unless the task is monotonous, and requires little thinking or problem solving to do. Intrinsic motivation is shown to be the best motivating factor to accomplish one’s goals.

Thoughts: Reading Drive, I found it fascinating that you can dissect human behavior to what is motivating them to do something. And I also found it interesting because you could apply it to people’s laziness. Our society usually tries to motivate people with rewards such as money, desired objects, etc. In the long term, the effects of extrinsic motivating factors can become severely detrimental towards someones productivity, for all aspects of their lives. This is because when people are on their own, the taught factors that they need to do something, are missing and struggle to find the willpower, the drive to do the task.

Monica’s Musings: Girl, Wash Your Face

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

“You, and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are.” ― Rachel Hollis, Girl, Wash Your Face

I was inspired to read Girl, Wash Your Face after I had it recommended to me by my mother. In it, the author Rachel Hollis, has put together twenty-one different chapters that dive into and tear apart lies women often tell themselves. She encourages the reader to fight against these lies and to live a life that is honest and real.

Her story is touching, and it has the ability to make you cry in one paragraph and laugh in the next. The content was a combination of light-hearted, funny, and even at some points dark. I enjoyed how raw and down-to-earth the author came across in this motivational book. I was extremely inspired to change my daily routine to make each day count after reading this.

Personally, I felt as though I was participating in a deep conversation with a friend rather than reading her life story. I have applied a lot of her outlooks on life into my own. Hollis wrote a fantastic book that shows the real side of life not only what is pretty to look at. I appreciated her honesty, and I will definitely be reading more by her.

Book Review: On Edge

On Edge by Andrea Petersen

First line: Fear ambushes me. 

Summary: Part personal experience.  Part research study.  This book delves into what it is like to have an anxiety disorder and how to understand them.  Millions of people in this country suffer from anxiety.  There are many new techniques and treatments being developed in order to help the people struggling with this disorder.

Highlights: I really enjoyed reading about her personal stories dealing with anxiety.  When I am feeling anxious, it seems like no one else can seem to understand.  Knowing that there are so many other people out there that are feeling the same way is comforting.  I have considered trying the mindfulness training and yoga as another way to help with my anxiety but have yet to start either. 

Lowlights: I did get a little lost in the technical babble at times and all the acronyms.  I wanted more of her personal success stories as a guide to help myself.

FYI: Slow reading but very informative.