Dr. Caroline Leaf definitely has a gift for writing timely books that prove to be exactly what the world currently needs. Just take a look at the title of her recent release from BakerBooks: “101 Ways to Be Less Stressed: Simple Self-Care Strategies to Boost Your Mind, Mood, and Mental Health”.

After a brief introduction for how to get the most out of this little book, Dr. Leaf dives right into her simple yet scientific strategies that each span one or two pages. Each one takes only a minute or so to read – but as we put them into practice in our lives, the effects on our mental health are exponential!

Here are a couple titles of my favorite tips (of course she goes into more detail with each one, but I like how they are titled for easy reference):

#27 – Chase curiosity, not passion
#54 – Don’t panic if you can’t fall asleep
#55 – Anticipating the worst moments creates the worst moments
#65 – Make “mental autopsies” a regular part of your day
#78 – Make it a priority to spend at least an hour a day reading
#95 – Work on your self-confidence

Admittedly, as I first skimmed through the book, some of these tips sounded like no-brainers (no pun intended!). But when I actually read further into Dr. Leaf’s strategy for each title, I was struck by a couple important things… First, I realized that sometimes the simplest of new habits can be the most life-changing in the long run. Second, as I slowly read the strategies, I realized that there is actually a lot of brain-science and mental-health-understanding built into each and every one. They are far from basic.

So, that is why I believe that this little book is different than the plethora of other self-help gift-books out there – because it is written by a Christian neuroscientist who I trust and believe to have so much insight into the human mind and how it connects to our bodies, beliefs, and entire lives. “101 Ways” is definitely still an ideal gift-book to share with friends and family, but it is also a book to dive in and DO, not just read. I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone – and when you order your copy, why not order an extra one or two for sharing with someone who could use it?

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”