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Reviewed by Keyla Damaer for Readers' Favorite
How to Calm the Hell Down and Be Happy by Ilene Angel is a self-help book about stress management. There are funny moments when the author talks about her various attempts to release stress with yoga. I bet lots of people found themselves in that situation. Throughout the book, she explains all the methods she tried, which ones worked and which didn't (stress balls, nature sounds, essential oils, massages, prayers and yoga, of course) giving also an explanation of the whys. Step by step, the reader is taken through the author's process towards a better awareness of herself and her fears, mostly the fear of death. Her conclusions about the issue are rationalized and well represented. A funny read with an ironic approach to life.
My favourite part of How to Calm the Hell Down and Be Happy is when the author talks about stuff: the number of things we keep in our houses. We all have too much stuff we never use. Maybe we did in the past, but we'll never use it again. She makes a number of examples of things that most people certainly have in abundance: photographs and memories, for instance. But the list could go on and on. According to the author, this accumulation of stuff has nothing to do with usefulness, but it has everything to do with something deeper and I couldn't agree more. I recommend reading this book. I don't know if it will help people to feel calmer and have a happier life. It's too soon to tell if it worked for me, but she's right about a bunch of things.
