Lower Merion Library Has Resources To De-Stress

Press release from the Lower Merion Library System:

Oct. 2, 2020

Tips for De-Stressing During COVID and Beyond

If you have experienced anxiety, worry and stress during this very trying time of shut-downs, closures and layoffs, you may be at a point where you need some ideas or ways to help you relax and de-stress. October 10th is World Mental Health Day and our libraries are here to help. Check out materials (for free!) to help you explore ways to relax during this difficult period. Patrons can search for items from home or in the libraries using the online catalog or by inquiring at the desk. If your search results in an item at a library outside Lower Merion, put in a request to have it sent to your local library. You could visit the library to create your own Take Home Calm Down Kit. It could include some music CDs, a self help audio book on CD, some books about being healthy and a funny movie on DVD to make you laugh. We have items appropriate for each and every age group. Need a new hobby? Check out a book on “How-To.” Learn a new language? Check out a language-instruction book on CD to listen to in your car. Or browse our non-fiction section to find self-help, yoga, meditation or health books.

Books such as:

Seeking Serenity : The 10 New Rules for Health and Happiness in the Age of Anxiety by Amanda Enayati. This book gives you suggestions on how to step back and try something different when feeling stressed-out. They are techniques you can use regularly in your life. “In Seeking Serenity, CNN Health columnist Amanda Enayati examines life in the modern age of anxiety and outlines ten revolutionary principles for living stress-free”– Provided by publisher. Contents include: The stressed columnist — The true story of stress. The stories we tell ourselves ; The most trying times ; The power of perception ; The physiology of stress ; A new narrative — Stress as a guide : the new rules. Your world. Be resilient ; Belong ; Be creative ; Be free — Your mind. Be happy ; Be giving ; Be kind — Your body. Be healthy ; Be uncluttered — World, mind, and body. Be present — In the end : be, an afterword — Appendix I. Breaks, buffers, and protective factors : a lightning round of proven strategies.

Be Happy: 35 Powerful Methods for Personal Growth & Well-Being by Rebecca Ray. Improving your everyday life may seem like a major hurdle, but Be Happy teaches us how to chip away at our problems with daily behavior until they’re manageable. Be Happy‘s techniques are based in the science of Positive Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the very movements responsible for millions of people improving their well–being. You will learn strategies like choosing joy and gratitude, cultivating positive thought and vision, and making space for good things in your life. Become a happier version of yourself by adjusting your daily routine with these powerful tools.

The Joy of Doing Nothing: a real-life guide to stepping back, slowing down and creating a simpler, joy-filled life by Rachel Jonat. In a world where there’s always something, take a minute and enjoy doing nothing. Imagine waking up and … peace. No rush to make it out the door. No scramble to get everyone fed and dressed. No panic over things that weren’t done the night before. Just ten minutes for you to enjoy doing nothing. Doesn’t that sound amazing? The Joy of Doing Nothing shows you how to find time in your overscheduled life for these wonderful moments — and how to let go of any guilt you may have over “wasting” time.

Shortcuts to Inner Peace by Ashley Davis Bush. Presents wonderful ways to help you de-stress, relax and be at peace with the world around you and life. It includes creative tricks and things you can do daily that are so simple, yet work so well.

Check out the library’s Audio CDs collection too:

Personal Meditations by Richard F.X. O’Connor. This CD features many meditations good for anxiety/stress, healing and revitalization and daily relaxation.

Free Yourself From Anxiety by Erin L. Olivio. This CD discusses how stress manifests and ways to treat it at home. Guided meditations, mindful discussions and identifying the behavior that may reflects extremer stress reactions.

Come and visit us during our new hours. Please check our webpage at lmls.org for more details on when & how libraries are open to the public. The LMLS website also has icons to click on to access free streaming or downloadable e-items.

This press release was produced by the Lower Merion Library System. The views expressed are the author's own.