Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode--and into a Life of Connection and Joy

In the wise and soulful tradition of teachers like Shauna Niequist and Brene Brown, therapist Aundi Kolber debuts with Try Softer, helping us align our mind, body, and soul to live the life God created for us.In a world that preaches a ?try harder? gospel?just keep going, keep hustling, keep pretending we?re all fine?we?re left exhausted, overwhelmed, and so numb to our lives. If we?re honest, we?ve been overfunctioning for so long, we can?t even imagine another way. How else will things get done? How else will we survive?It doesn?t have to be this way.Aundi Kolber believes that we don?t have to white-knuckle our way through life. In her debut book, Try Softer, she?ll show us how God specifically designed our bodies and minds to work together to process our stories and work through obstacles. Through the latest psychology, practical clinical exercises, and her own personal story, Aundi equips and empowers us to connect us to our truest self and truly live. This is the ?try softer? life.In Try Softer, you?ll learn how to:Know and set emotional and relational boundariesMake sense of the difficult experiences you?ve hadIdentify your attachment style?and how that affects your relationships todayMove through emotions rather than get stuck by themGrow in self-compassion and talk back to your inner criticTrying softer is sacred work. And while it won?t be perfect or easy, it will be worth it. Because this is what we were made for: a living, breathing, moving, feeling, connected, beautifully incarnational life. Review Therapist Kolber (Relevant) targets the ?overextended, overburdened, and overwrought? in this persuasive take on adopting a happy (and easy) lifestyle. . . . Kolber offers practices that enable a life of ?trying softer,? among them scripts for better communication, exercises for getting in tune with emotions, and tips for reasoning with one?s ?internal critic??such as concentrating on ?mindfulness, self-kindfulness, and common humanity??to allay self-judgment. Kolber provides steady, helpful guidance for ?the parts of your soul screaming to be loved in extravagant ways.? Mental health professionals and general readers dealing with anxiety will find many serviceable exercises in Kolber?s useful guide. Publishers Weekly Review I knew that the moment I opened this book, I wouldn?t be able to put it down. Aundi Kolber?s words will meet you where you are, here in the present moment, shining light in the direction of connection and joy, in places where they are often a challenge to find. Her writing draws you into the depths as she gives you practical, grace-filled words of wisdom for every step. While reading this book, you will feel mirrored through Aundi?s beautiful way of giving language to our experiences. You will be met in the wild of where you are while also receiving the tools you need so you can carry on for the rest of the journey. Morgan Harper Nichols, Artist and PoetTry Softer is the book I?ve been searching for on the bookstore shelves. As someone who has been high-strung and ?try-harder? since childhood, I?ve always wondered, Why? Why does my body feel on high alert even when my mind is quiet? Thankfully, Kolber?s smart, informative approach and kind voice are here to help us all understand the complicated happenings between our heads, our hearts, and our bodies. Hayley Morgan, Author of Preach to Yourself and coauthor of Wild and FreeIn a culture teeming with anxiety and feelings of being ?not enough,? Aundi is the friend and guide we need for this present moment. Packed with a perfect blend of relatable storytelling and practical methods, this book will be one I return to and pass on to others. This is one of those rare lifelong reads you will pull out as a refresher course again and again. Hannah Brencher, Author of Come Matter Here and If You Find This LetterFar too often the Christian recipe for abundant living involves mustering up more faith, doing more for Go