Turn Your Mental Health Struggle Into a Journey
As mental health challenges take over college campuses across the country, Sarah Wilson strives to share her answers for dealing with anxiety in her new book, “First, We Make the Beast Beautiful,” according to a recent press release.
As a college student, you’ve probably felt the feeling of anxiety. Your chest tightens, it’s hard to breathe, you can’t focus on what’s right in front of you. But it’s hard to cope with this mental illness. Especially in college, when time seems to move at a faster pace. When everything is overstimulating. When your planner is at its fullest. If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Wilson, could be the mentor you need to tackle your mental health struggle.
Wilson’s novel aims to redefine our society’s conversation about anxiety. Instead of this issue being the challenge to living a stress-free life, Wilson describes her journey with anxiety as a spiritual quest. With all the information available about anxiety (mindfulness coloring books, meditation guides, strict diets, etc.) Wilson’s novel examines all we have to offer this condition, describing her own successes and failures. Wilson’s personal battle with mental health stretches from generalized anxiety to obsessive-compulsive disorder and insomnia. If anyone knows what it’s like to deal with the challenges of being mentally healthy, it’s Wilson.
“First, We Make the Beast Beautiful” takes advantage of what the world has to offer regarding anxiety, including interviews, philosophical mantras, and personal anecdotes. Wilson encompasses her journey with anxiety by suggesting anxious people focus on six simple tasks:
- Become a gracious person.
- Slow down on sugar consumption.
- Create a routine of accomplishment.
- Exercise.
- Let go of feeling guilty for skipping social functions.
- Breathe.
The most simple way to battle anxiety is to remember to breathe. Wilson’s novel lists breathing as one of the best ways to manage anxiety on a daily basis.
As our society focuses on controlling anxiety with medication, limiting our notion of anxiety to being “dangerous” and “debilitating,” Wilson strives to change the conversation. She sees anxiety as a personal journey, encouraging her readers to embrace their own anxiety as part of who they are. If you struggle with anxious thoughts and patterns, Wilson’s novel “First, We Make the Beast Beautiful” might be the best way to stimulate getting a handle on it.