First, We Make the Beast Beautiful
A New Journey Through Anxiety
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First, We Make the Beast Beautiful
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Narrated by:
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Sarah Wilson
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Written by:
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Sarah Wilson
About this listen
The New York Times best-selling author of I Quit Sugar transforms cultural perceptions of the mental health issue of our age - anxiety - viewing this widespread condition not as a burdensome affliction but as a powerful spiritual teacher that can deepen our lives.
While reading psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison's groundbreaking account of bipolar disorder, An Unquiet Mind, Sarah Wilson discovered an ancient Chinese proverb that would change her life:
To conquer a beast, you must first make it beautiful.
Wilson, a best-selling author, journalist, and entrepreneur, had spent years struggling with her own beast: Chronic anxiety. And the words of this proverb would become the key to understanding her condition.
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful charts Wilson's epic journey to make peace with her lifetime companion and to learn to see it as a guide rather than as an enemy. With intensive focus and investigatory skills, Wilson examines the triggers and treatments, the fashions and fads. She reads widely and interviews fellow sufferers, mental health experts, philosophers, and even the Dalai Lama, processing all she learns through the prism of her own experiences. Pulling at the thread of accepted definitions of anxiety, she unravels the notion that it is a difficult, dangerous disease that must be medicated into submission and reframes it as a divine journey - a state of yearning that will lead us closer to what really matters.
Practical and poetic, wise and funny, First, We Make the Beast Beautiful is a small book with a big heart. It will encourage the myriad souls who dance with this condition to embrace it as a part of who they are and to explore the possibilities it offers for a richer, fuller life.
©2017 Sarah Wilson (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersYou may also enjoy...
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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What listeners say about First, We Make the Beast Beautiful
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Caleb
- 2019-04-11
amazing
touched my soul and has helped me through a great deal of my own anxiety. Bless You Sarah for sharing
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex R.
- 2021-06-02
The beast is beautiful!
This book is a life changer for me, so many great strategies for approaching anxiety, I'm really indebted to Sarah Wilson for her guidance
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Debbie Jamieson
- 2018-07-01
Hits all the nails on their heads.
Anxiety is indeed a beast, but Sarah Wilson shows us, with love, compassion, and awareness, we can see its beauty and allow it to lead us home to ourselves.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Moza dole
- 2021-10-22
Recommend for any level of anxiety
This book was my first step to acknowledging my anxiety and I have to say that I’ve been handling myself rather well but hearing about her journey and taking on new perspectives was very educational! I’ve gifted the book to someone already.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tiffany
- 2018-05-10
A must listen for anxiety & depression
If you or someone you know loves with anxiety and/or depression please, please listen. This book helped explain myself to myself and to my loved ones. Thank you Sarah, I greatly appreciate your bravery in putting yourself out there for us all to learn and grow from. I love you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elly
- 2024-01-16
Best book on anxiety so far
I've lived with anxiety, depression, and PTSD for 20+ years now and this is by far the best book I've read on the subject(s). I appreciate the honesty and openness on the struggles but also the triumphs.
I didn't love the push for her other book about giving up sugar - it didn't really fit in my opinion. But if it helps someone, then great!
Now to remember some beasts are beautiful!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-02-28
Fascinating and Insightful!
It takes a brave soul to examine their world so thoroughly and put it to pen and paper. This sharing is sure to help those suffering with anxiety and those who love them. Thank you Sarah.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Brenda
- 2021-02-04
loved it
loved it. I found it full of ideas, references and revelations I want to revisit in depth. a great window to myself and family. thank you sarah
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Linda A
- 2020-09-30
Living with feelings of anxiety
If you get the chance, read this book in audiobook format as it’s wonderful to hear Sarah Wilson narrate her story.
As a mental health professional, this is one of the best books I have read on living with feelings of anxiety.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lindsy Fish
- 2020-06-04
Fascinating and Holistic Approach to Anxiety
The author sees managing anxiety as a process rather than a cure. I very much like her take on everything except for the dietary advice.
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