piabo's Reviews (301)

+++ 2024 Review +++
This time around I wanted to take my time reading, and I did. After two months I am finally done.
I still really liked it! I think especially the first part was very interesting to me now with scientific background on the nervous system and the different kind of stress responses. The author does a great job giving different perspectives on the stress cycles and what can lead it to being activated or not finished. The perspective goes from full on big T Trauma to daily stress. It really made me feel seen and validated in all different kind of experiences.
Yes, the author is no PhD in psychiatry or similar, still I think she has a scientist mind and a good approach in general. Be critical when reading this, look my review below. But I stand by my choice of the 5 stars, it is still the only book I found that combines the scientific insights with actionable advice.


+++2022 Review +++
I am so glad I finally found this book. I have been looking for information on how to take care of my mental health for some time, but most books are super specific on trauma or other kind of diagnosis I do not have.

"Widen the Window" is for everyone who habitually pushes themselves to finish a task, reach a goal, or live through particular social situations. And so much more!
Only after reading this book, can I finally acknowledge that what I experience is stress and that things have to change in order for me to feel better and get out of the hole I am currently in.

Elizabeth Stanley does a great mix of personal anecdotes and scientifically proven strategies. It was therefore easier to connect to the things she says and find strategies to apply them to my own life.

I honestly wish I could just summarize this entire book here. Or lecture everyone I meet (and especially those I care about) about the principles or self-care and resilience building mentioned in this book.

My attempt to summarize:
It is okay to feel overwhelmed! It is not possible to think your way out of feeling stress. Your body experiences it and there are techniques to finish the stress cycle and relax, we just don't learn about much of this in school.
Sleep 8+ hours a day, exercise for 150+ minutes a week, eat well, engage in mindful activities, have healthy relationships.

Please do this AND read the book.
Thanks.

Of course, this book is not perfect. I am giving it 5 stars right now because so much was so good and new to me. But it is important that people read other books in addition to this (and seek therapy if things don't feel right!)
A great comment and additional resources are in this Goodreads thread: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4016438746

An exciting world and characters! Inspired and set in Yoruba Nigeria. I am intrigued by the whole fantasy part! Feel a bit too old and wanting something deeper now, but also really want to read the next part and see if the pace and deepness picks up.
Highly recommend tho! Maybe my Harry Potter alternative? Can't say after one book only.

I did not know anything about Laos or its history, I am glad I do now!
Read this book with the phenomenal  Alina, and we even had a book club discussion in the end. So wonderful to hear her opinion and discuss. Looking forward to doing that with more books!

One of my buddy read comments: I think this book is about home. About displacement. About war. And about people and storylines. Usually I don't line books with multiple people, but this time I am hooked. 

I really enjoyed the book for its science part. I am currently taking a genetics class and there were some beautiful applications inside. The author seems to be a sensible scientist who explains scientific methods well at many points. My plan is to go back to this book and re-read it at some point.
The whole idea of medicine 3.0 sounds great. But at the same time, it does not seem feasible just yet and might inspire some people to do stuff that is not actually scientifically proven or valuable to your overall health. 
The entire field is definitely interesting tho! I remember I had some more specific thoughts, but I did not take notes and procrastinated writing this review for too long. Let me try to re-read it in a few months and then get back to everyone :)

The big takeaways as always: move, sleep, eat, care for your mental health. It will make your life more worth living and even likely longer.

I am reading too many books on the same topic right now, I might pick this one up later again

I am back in my 12-year-old boy reading era. It was great to calm down during a busy academic time as I was desperately looking for a Harry Potter alternative. This is not it, but that is okay. Also felt just like another "Percy Jackson" and wasn't really worth it. I don't want to read the rest of the series (but let's see lol).

Did I ever mention that I am obsessed with complexity science? Ever since I got introduced to it in first year of uni, I wanted to learn more. It is just such a neat way to dissect the world and look at it. One that makes much more sense than reductionist approaches (trying to explain things through rigid formulas or breaking it down in ways that do not make sense).
This book is a great introduction to the major concepts of complexity and systems thinking (basically the same thing). Highly recommend it to anyone who lacks words for the complicated ideas they have about this world. I am sure much of this is intuitive, but reading about it, will be much cooler.

Very good essay on growing up Black in the US, on being a father, and just life generally. I enjoy the writing style; the author captures emotions and complex topics effortlessly. 
I did read it quite quickly and ended up discussing it with a book club with retired white US people. It was actually so interesting to hear their perspectives! 

I was looking for more neuroscience background and this book was not really it. But it was still very great for learning strategies and explaining what actually works. While I am already familiar with the field, my biggest takeaway was the power of applying knowledge and how it is much more effective than just taking in things. The sweet spot is apparently to take 40% of the time you have to study something, and then take 60% of the time to apply this to practice questions or other applied areas. We all know this, but it was just especially well-illustrated here, and I felt called out for passively reading books this whole time and not using my knowledge much. I am now actively thinking about ways to make it happen more.

I am so amazed at how I understood these concepts a few years ago already, but I did not really understand them at the same time. Now, when I read this socialist revolutionary book, I can relate so much and properly understand what the concepts and ideas of the class struggle mean, also for our world today.
I do not share the whole analysis of Kwame Nkrumah, but I appreciate it in its historical context. I think the ideas are revolutionary and great. I just wish he would have been more clear about certain concepts and provided actionable plans. The book has also been lacking sources and deeper analysis. I sometimes felt like he was just making claims without explaining why his ideas are good.