This book invites readers on a bold journey that reframes anxiety as a spiritual quest rather than a burdensome affliction. It encourages a shift in perspective, inviting us to embrace our anxiety and use it as a tool for personal growth.
Unleashing the Beast
Wilson shares her personal journey and struggle with anxiety and bipolar disorder, offering a raw and authentic portrayal of mental health. She recounts her experiences with brutal honesty, exposing the destructive power of anxiety when left unaddressed. However, the focus of the book is not on the struggle, but rather on how she learned to embrace her “beast”.
Her experiences have given her a unique perspective on the nature of anxiety, which she shares through personal stories, practical exercises, dietary adjustments, and spiritual practices.
Anxiety as a Gift
The underlying message of “First, We Make the Beast Beautiful” is that anxiety can be a gift, not a curse. Wilson argues that the anxious mind is creative, sensitive, and capable of high performance. It’s about learning to harness these traits rather than letting them control you.
The Beauty in the Beast
In one memorable part of the book, Wilson describes anxiety as a wild horse that needs to be tamed, not killed. Once tamed, it can be ridden towards growth, creativity, and achievement. In other words, the beast of anxiety, when handled with compassion and understanding, can indeed be made beautiful.
Our top 10 takeaways from this book
- Embrace Your Anxiety: The main lesson from this book is to stop fighting anxiety and instead embrace it as a part of who you are.
- Anxiety Can Be a Gift: Anxiety is not necessarily a curse; it can be a gift if viewed from the right perspective. Anxious minds are often creative, sensitive, and high-performing.
- Harness Your Anxiety: Like a wild horse, anxiety needs to be tamed, not killed. Once tamed, it can be harnessed for growth, creativity, and achievement.
- Take Care of Your Health: Your physical health can impact your mental health. The book encourages a healthy diet, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep.
- Find Your Calm: Practices like mindfulness, meditation, and yoga can help manage anxiety. Find what works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine.
- Connect with Others: Sharing your experience with others, whether they have anxiety or not, can help. Connection and understanding can alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation that often accompany anxiety.
- Do What Scares You: The only way to overcome fear is to face it. Step out of your comfort zone, do things that scare you, and prove to yourself that you can handle it.
- Redefine Success: Anxiety often comes with a fear of failure. Redefine what success means to you to alleviate this pressure.
- Practise Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to be imperfect and to make mistakes.
- Live Authentically: Being true to yourself, including your anxiety, is key. Authentic living reduces the pressure to conform and suppress your true nature.
Breaking My Addictions Summary
This book is a valuable read for anyone dealing with anxiety or looking to understand the struggles of a loved one better. It presents a radical view of anxiety, seeing it not as a disorder to be eradicated but as a part of oneself to be embraced and used for personal growth. This alternative view of anxiety encourages us to reframe our perceptions and empowers us to live a more meaningful life, anxiety included. The journey is all about learning to tame the beast, making it beautiful, and riding it towards self-fulfillment.
