Secrets to Keeping your Sanity in a Crazy World Book Review

 When Covid-19 first hit I thought it was just going to be like a couple of months that we'll be locked into our homes and try to stay away from getting infected - and here we are at the 2nd Christmas with a new variant slowly emerging from other countries, and we are starting to rebuild our lives again- insert *dun dun DUUUUUUN* sound effects. 

And to be very honest, I randomly ask myself these questions: How do I maintain my sanity in this world? Do I need another mini breakdown for the day to survive? How do I live 'normally' in a time where people wear face mask, hose ourselves down with alcohol and a stressful work environment but now we moved it in the four walls of our home office? 

And luckily I was able to find a book that was able to keep my sanity in check and know more ways to be able not to lose my marbles if ever a new lockdown might loom in my path. 

Secrets to Keeping your sanity in a Crazy World is written by Corazon Walata-Austria. A Human Resources professional who manages and facilitates and does business strategy in various organizations - she knows what she is talking about for sure. 

The book mainly talks about different triggers and also solutions for us to be able to manage in a crazy world. Its totally relatable not just to professionals who feel the urge to resign due to burn out, to students who are also losing their drive to study at home and even to anyone in a stage in their lives that took a 180 degree headspin on their lives. She shared some of the factors that can make us feel unmotivated and ways we can re-energize ourselves. 

As someone who deals with mental health and works in a fast-paced, competitive field - It can get tiring. Strategizing content, checking in with trends, talking with brands and even having a cohesive page which doesn't include my day job of answering phone calls and assisting customers with their needs to have better coverage in their area is a lot of work for a one-woman team so these tips would really help me. 

One of the best advises she mentions in the book is to take good care of your mind. I am sure that during the first few weeks of lockdown a lot of us enjoyed it because it was basically vacation, but as the days turn into weeks, and to months made our minds weaker. And I personally dealt with that part because I was out of work but I still had to provide for my family. In the book, Corazon mentions that its okay to talk about our feelings. I have never been that kind honestly and it takes a bit of time for me to ask for help or to talk how I truly feel because as an Earth sign showing vulnerability is not good and according to Corazon its okay to ask for help and talk about our feelings. It makes our mental health better when we talk about it. 

Another part that I am really loving about this book is how she was able to overcome struggles in her life and still come out as the best version of herself. Working on yourself and not focusing on the negative really does make everything better. I remember a specific time just last week at work as a perfect example - A customer called me rude which really soured my mood and I cried. My coach told me that I should still think positive on the situation and move past that customer because that is just one opinion versus how my other calls for the day went. That actually made me feel better afterwards and boosted my mood to be better in assisting our customers. 

Humor has also been a focal point in the book wherein we can find a lot of things funny even if the situation doesn't realy call for it. A lot of the times Corazon mentions stories about her children which are really heart warming and funny. The amount of wit and grit the author puts in the book is really a page turner that I really enjoyed reading it cover to cover. 

One of the best part for me in the book is how in every situation she handled, the author has had struggles not just in her professional life but also with her personal life wherein if these would've happened to me I am not really sure where to begin with. Its one of the key highlights that I think we tend to look over sometimes - knowing to  manage who we are and how we can handle certain situations in all aspects of our life. 

I am really glad I was able to read this book. Overall I think this is a great book to read especially this Holiday season where it tends to get crazier than ever. Always remember that its okay to take a break sometimes and look at what we are dealing in another person's perspective. Never ever doubt yourself, believe in what you are capable of and hone it because at the end you will be the only person that will reap the benefits of everything that you have worked on. 

You can check out Secrets to Keeping Your Sanity in this Crazy World along with other books at Central Books. You can visit them at https://central.com.ph/centralbooks/ and get a copy along with other books that you will definitely enjoy. 

Much Love! 

xx Alice