Calm&
SENSE
A Woman's Guide to Living Anxiety-Free
IPNE Book Award, 2021 Category Winner for Informational Non-Fiction
Eric Hoffer Book Award, 2022 Category Finalist for Self-Help
Here's how I'm creating a second chance for myself… and the book!
Listen to Episode 43: Creating Our Own Second Chances
Does anxiety rule your life? You're not alone!
Calm & Sense: A Woman's Guide to Living Anxiety-Free
empowers you to claim, reframe, and tame your anxiety.
Living a life of calm and joy isn’t some fairy-fairy idea. It’s something you create by taking persistent, consistent steps toward that goal every day. It’s about forgiving yourself for your mistakes, your past, and everything else you’ve been yelling at yourself about over the years.
It’s about having a plan in place for the tough days, and reminding yourself to celebrate the good days. It’s about putting yourself first, loving yourself and most of all, believing that you deserve and will have the calm, joy-filled life of your dreams.
And now you have the tools, the support and the plan to make your dreams come true, it’s time to, go out and create the life you were born to live.
When you have a tough day, come back to the book and read the passages that inspire you. When you’re anxious, come back and try a new technique or reread a passage that helped you last time.
As you open your arms and your heart to the adventures ahead, please know you’re not alone.
"An appealing guide to lessening anxiety and increasing overall wellness."
— Kirkus Reviews
Read the complete review here.
"It's time we finally do something about our anxiety."
REVIEWS
"In the pages that follow, readers can find simple and practical tools for coping with difficult circumstances. Even people who’ve had past experience with therapy are likely to find ideas in the book that they’ll find beneficial."
— Kirkus Reviews [Read complete review]
"This is an important subject, but it's rarely something that gets discussed – especially for women. Mental health is so important. The book is well-written and -researched. One important chapter is nine, where the author leads readers how and when to get help, and this is perhaps the most challenging aspect of mental health. This book will go over well with its audience."
—Judge, 29th Annual Writer's Digest
Self-Published Book Awards
"[Calm & Sense] doesn’t feel like a therapist trying to educate you; rather, it has the feel of another regular person having a conversation with you, who just happens to have the knowledge and experience of a therapist. With the wide range of ideas offered in the book, I think any reader is likely to find things that work for them."
—Ashley L. Peterson [Read complete review]
"Calm & Sense provides a wealth of information for women on how to reduce anxiety without medication. Wendy Leeds, who knows what it's like to be anxious, provides many tools that are simple to learn and help you get the results you want. It's more than breathing and meditation, it's a holistic approach to healthy living."
—Andrea Novakowski
"For those who endure chronic anxiety, even seemingly innocuous daily tribulations can take on giant, scary, insurmountable portions. Calm & Sense is a loving, gentle, often witty, and infinitely helpful path through one’s jungle of fears. As one might hope of any jungle guide, the authors compass is sure, her survival kit is well-stocked, and her cheerful, can-do spirit is reassuring and encouraging the whole way."
—Roberta Rosenthal Hawkins, MFA, PhD
"This book is a must read for any woman struggling with anxiety. In it, Wendy Leeds shares her vulnerability, her humor, and her wisdom as she deconstructs the roots and growth of anxiety. Whether your anxiety stems from internal or external sources, this book provides a veritable potpourri of techniques and practices to explore, so there is sure to be something here that works for you."
—Peg Doyle, Food Becomes You
SAMPLE TECHNIQUES
From Ch. 40, p. 226
From Ch. 40, p. 228
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part One: Name Your Anxiety
1. The Anxious Brain
2. Why Women Worry: The Causes of Our Anxiety
3. How Women Worry: Signs, Symptoms, and Effects of Anxiety
4. The Price We Pay for Being Anxious
5. A Checklist of Your Anxiety Symptoms
6. Where to Start
Part Two: Claim Your Anxiety
7. How to Claim Your Anxiety
8. Logging In
9. When to Get Help
10. How to Get Help
Part Three: Reframe Your Anxiety
11. Beck’s Anxiety Equation
12. What I Think Is Making Me Anxious (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
13. How I Think Is Making Me Anxious, Too (More Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
14. Reframing
15. A Reframe of Reframing: Byron Katie’s “The Work”
16. Ask Yourself Better Questions
17. The Importance of Not Being Perfekt
18. Let Go
19. Take Action
20. Face Your Fears
21. DIY Affirmations
22. Accentuate the Positive
23. Just Do One Small Thing: The Art of Kaizen
24. Gratitude
25. Faith
Part Four: Tame Your Anxiety
26. Just Breathe
27. Meditate
28. Sleep
29. Just Say No
30. Slow Down
31. Anchoring
32. Do One New Thing
33. Laugh
34. Play
35. Music
36. Love Your Body
37. Get Moving
38. Keep Moving, Stay Motivated
39. Yoga
40. Qigong
41. Acupressure
42. EFT: Emotional Freedom Technique, or Tapping
43. Heal with Water
44. Nourish Your Body
45. Eat and Drink This
46. Don’t Eat or Drink This
47. The Worry Box
48. Journal
49. Plan to Worry
50. Get Organized
51. Build a Great Support Team
52. Do Good, Feel Better
Appendix: Create Your Own Anxiety-Free Day
Author’s Note: The Journey Ahead
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Wendy Leeds
About
As a three-time cancer survivor, Wendy Leeds is an expert on what it’s like to live with anxiety. As an experienced, licensed psychotherapist, Wendy’s mission is to help anxious women learn to acknowledge and ease their anxieties.
Wendy is the creator and host of the podcast Anxiety Connection, a one-stop resource where anxious people everywhere can come together for a sense of connection, understanding, and to get the latest information on what causes anxiety and how to manage it.
In addition to using traditional approaches to treating anxiety, Wendy has developed a number of her own innovative, powerful anxiety-busting tools: The B.E.A.R. (Breathe Exhale Affirm Relax) Technique which can be used to head off a potential panic attack; the B.E.A.R. Hug which can stop a panic attack that is already in progress, and the Wrist Wrap can be used to ease anxiety in any situation.
Wendy’s work empowers women to create the calm, centered lives they were born to live. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Tom, and their dog, Myles Standish.
To learn more about Wendy, see her bio on this site.
WHAT READERS SAY
"This is a great book about anxiety. It’s extremely informative and also interesting to read. I actually started doing some of the techniques in the book and I’ve noticed some changes already."
—Lynn B, Reviewer (posted on NetGalley)
"[Calm & Sense] demystifies the complexities of anxiety and provides a practical manual. I particularly appreciate the hands-on tool kit including questionnaires and recommended physical exercises to successfully reduce anxiety."
—Jo C (posted on Amazon on Mar 4, 2021)
"Anxiety is a major mental health issue right now and this book will be great for everyone."
—Michelle O, Librarian (posted on NetGalley)
"Wendy Leeds did a brilliant job of helping me better understand the symptoms of anxiety and the many ways I've been running away from facing it. I now understand that for me the best way to overcome anxiety is to use the techniques Wendy describes that work for me. I've narrowed it down to more time outdoors and letting myself relax more instead of always being busy."
—Shiatsupeg (posted on Amazon on Feb 7, 2021)
"Very holistic approach. Every chapter is short. It makes its point, so it's an easy read. It doesn't push any specific strategy. The author is realistic and knows that what works for one person might not work for another. The reader might balk by the author's assertion that you are causing you're own anxiety. However, keep reading and you see her intention."
—Heather D, Reviewer (posted on NetGalley)
"The foundation of [Calm & Sense] represents someone who cares and has provided this book as a means for the public to read and overcome their troubles. I recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with anxiety…"
—Jeyran Mai (posted on Amazon on Sep 21, 2021)