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A review by jessmaeshelley
Leap Year by Helen Russell
5.0
I loved Helen Russell's book on living Danishly! So as soon as I saw Leap Year in my local library, I grabbed it like Golem and devoured it. It was an entertaining and super interesting/insightful read. I loved learning about the idea of Kaizen (essentially the philosophy that small changes lead to big changes) and the different layers of our brain (how the flight or fight response, located in the midbrain, can shut down the other parts of our brain (reptilian/cortex) and this causes our amygdala to flare up with fear. Especially prominent when making changes and doing something outside of our comfort zone. As Russell puts it 'you can't look at cute cat videos, when your body thinks it's being chased by a sabre-tooth tiger.' And I think that's a pretty accurate way to describe anxiety.
By becoming more aware of how our brain and body works, I was able to create a sort of healthy distance between myself and my diagnosed anxiety. It gave me a new perspective on how to view it. That in times of change, stress, and unknowing, it was just my old ancestral instincts kicking in, completely unaware of our modern day generation and situations. (And still trying to catch up!) My body was just, in essence, trying to protect itself. In that thought, I feel a little more soothed.
Yet again, Russell's research and experimentation have opened my eyes, to new ideas and concepts that I cannot wait to try and implement into my own life!
By becoming more aware of how our brain and body works, I was able to create a sort of healthy distance between myself and my diagnosed anxiety. It gave me a new perspective on how to view it. That in times of change, stress, and unknowing, it was just my old ancestral instincts kicking in, completely unaware of our modern day generation and situations. (And still trying to catch up!) My body was just, in essence, trying to protect itself. In that thought, I feel a little more soothed.
Yet again, Russell's research and experimentation have opened my eyes, to new ideas and concepts that I cannot wait to try and implement into my own life!