The subtitle ‘Find Calm Every Day via Simple Tips and Exercises’ is immediately appealing. Life is frantic for everyone and there rarely seems time for self care or even to draw breath.
This pocket-sized book provides a way to dip in and find an oasis of calm whenever you need it.
The easily-digestible title is split into sections to help you identify your stressors, calm your mind, your body and your home.
Leonie Amarasekara’s advice is punctuated with sage advice and bons mots from great thinkers ancient and modern. You’ll find lines from Marcus Aurelius as well as more recent voices such as Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King.
There is also enough practical advice to provide something that will resonate with everyone. I related to the suggestion of listening to birdsong – my preferred mindfulness activity that works every time. So too is going for a walk – another page of the author's suggestions. Marrying the two and walking in woodland, or hearing different birdsong in coastal regions is how I would expand the idea.
Another one that leapt from the page is to romanticise and ritualise the mundane and the daily. I brew fresh coffee and use the same two mugs – gifts from my mother – to serve each morning. The mugs are always hand-washed and never used for anything else. That keeps the first (and usually only!) cup of coffee of each day sacrosanct and special.
The tips on relaxing the body are sound too. As someone who has become a yoga bore, I quickly feel my stress levels rising when I’m unable to practice. Keeping the jaw relaxed is essential – it doesn’t go into details about why, but any fellow bruxism sufferers will know precisely. The book is only intended as a brief overview, but there were occasions when I hoped for more rationale behind the wisdom. Background information about the author, especially if she has any more detailed work in this area, would have been welcome.
The section on creating a calming home I read with close interest, storing up ideas for the near future. Having recently decluttered to move house, my current psychological torment results from boxes everywhere and things not in their right places. But having a music night on a Friday evening to catch up on the week with my loved one is another tip I was already, unconsciously following, and that is often the highlight of the week.
The ideas in ‘All You Need is Less Stress’ are good, practical common sense. You may already be doing some routinely anyway. But relating the advice to your own life is also helpful because it makes you stop and think about why your actions are important. You may find ways to adapt what you’re doing to incorporate more mindfulness or try a new approach.
The book may not have the power to rescue someone consumed by stress to the point of ill health. Although it won’t do any harm, the pointers are probably too general. Though I would strongly recommend the section on getting organised for anyone who is at that point. Otherwise, the sense of panic will overwhelm any conscious efforts to de-stress the mind and body.
‘All You Need is Less Stress’ is an attractively produced, well-designed book with full-colour illustrations. It is readily accessible for every age group from teenagers facing exams up to older people who may be dealing with ill health. It makes the ideal thoughtful gift for someone you know who is up against it at the moment. After a stressful house move and building works at home, the book helped me to reset, but it’s important to remember that you need to do the hard work yourself. These pages can only be the start of a journey towards a more tranquil, ordered life. Good luck!
Publisher: Summersdale Release date: 14th August 2025 Buy ‘All You Need is Less Stress'
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