I've been pretty stressed over the last year or so, so I decided to give Amanda Enayati's book Seeking Serenity: The 10 New Rules for Health and Happiness in the Age of Anxiety a try. I was expecting a book about reducing stress, but that's not really what Seeking Serenity is about. Instead, the book is aimed more at changing your outlook on stress: stress can be a big motivator, helping you get things done, learn, and grow; it isn't the big bad force we all think it is (though Enayati does concede that chronic stress is still bad for you).
After the introduction, Seeking Serenity breaks its ten rules down into four areas of life: your world (rules 1-4, Be Resilient, Belong, Be Creative, and Be Free), your mind (Be Happy, Be Giving, Be Kind), your body (Be Healthy, Be Uncluttered), and world, mind, and body (Be Present). None of these rules are really groundbreaking; we are social beings who get a lot out of helping others and having purpose, so many of the rules are either around that, or about clearing yourself of clutter. But the book was a good reminder to work on what is important, rather than chasing material things.
I quite liked her afterword, too. In it, Enayati tells of preparing a speech for a day of climate action, where she was struck by the similarity between environmental sustainability and personal stress: our everyday habits and practices can make our individual lives more sustainable, much like how our individual actions can make our home more sustainable for all. It is a great parallel, and a really interesting thought for her to leave her readers with as they finish the book.
While it is, understandably, not the easiest read (I found the book needed to be read in smaller digestible chunks), Seeking Serenity is a good read, especially for anyone who is struggling with feeling overwhelmed and stressed in their daily life. While the advice isn't really new, Enayati provides some new perspectives that will help you consider stress in new ways. I highly recommend it.
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