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The Extremely Busy Woman's Guide to Self-Care: Do Less, Achieve More, and Live the Life You Want
An interactive self-love activity workbook for women with quizzes, journal prompts, and tools to guide you on your self-care journey.
You're probably doing a lot—taking care of your family, killing it at your job, volunteering, organizing, scheduling, delegating. At the end of all of that, do you have any time or energy left to take care of the most important you? If you are ready to step out of feelings of frenzy, guilt, stress, and overwhelm, this is the perfect book to guide you on that journey with simple steps you can take each day to improve your self-care.
Self-care movement leader Suzanne Falter gets it. In fact, she lived the life that every woman today feels expected to lead, chasing career goals while balancing the commitment of raising a family. But after facing an unthinkable tragedy, Suzanne transformed her identity as a stressed-out workaholic to find her way back to wholeness and balance after experiencing nearly unimaginable grief. In The Extremely Busy Woman's Guide to Self-Care, Suzanne shares simple, bite-sized suggestions to help you ease onto the path of effective self-care in a way that feels doable rather than demanding.
This book is perfect if you are looking books for womenSelf-care gifts for womenSelf affirmations for womenStress-management booksPractical suggestions for taking care of yourselfHow to ask for help and set boundariesThe road to soothing self-care is right in front of you—all you have to do is say yes to the journey and take the first step.
You're probably doing a lot—taking care of your family, killing it at your job, volunteering, organizing, scheduling, delegating. At the end of all of that, do you have any time or energy left to take care of the most important you? If you are ready to step out of feelings of frenzy, guilt, stress, and overwhelm, this is the perfect book to guide you on that journey with simple steps you can take each day to improve your self-care.
Self-care movement leader Suzanne Falter gets it. In fact, she lived the life that every woman today feels expected to lead, chasing career goals while balancing the commitment of raising a family. But after facing an unthinkable tragedy, Suzanne transformed her identity as a stressed-out workaholic to find her way back to wholeness and balance after experiencing nearly unimaginable grief. In The Extremely Busy Woman's Guide to Self-Care, Suzanne shares simple, bite-sized suggestions to help you ease onto the path of effective self-care in a way that feels doable rather than demanding.
This book is perfect if you are looking books for womenSelf-care gifts for womenSelf affirmations for womenStress-management booksPractical suggestions for taking care of yourselfHow to ask for help and set boundariesThe road to soothing self-care is right in front of you—all you have to do is say yes to the journey and take the first step.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2019
96 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Falter
16 books131 followersSuzanne Falter is an author, speaker, blogger and podcaster who has published both fiction and non-fiction, as well as essays. She also speaks about self-care and the transformational healing of crisis, especially in her own life after the death of her daughter Teal. Her non-fiction books also include How Much Joy Can You Stand? and Surrendering to Joy . Suzanne is also the host of podcast Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women.
Suzanne’s essays have appeared in O Magazine, The New York Times, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha and Thrive Global among others. Her fiction titles include the Oaktown Girls series of lesbian romances, and the romantic suspense series, Transformed. Her non-fiction work, blog, podcasts and her online course, Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women, can be found at suzannefalter.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
She lives with her wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Suzanne’s essays have appeared in O Magazine, The New York Times, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha and Thrive Global among others. Her fiction titles include the Oaktown Girls series of lesbian romances, and the romantic suspense series, Transformed. Her non-fiction work, blog, podcasts and her online course, Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women, can be found at suzannefalter.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
She lives with her wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 25, 2019
This book didn't bring much to the table - the first whole half was about slowing down and saying no, which I thought didn't fit well with the way this book was marketed, since its for Busy Women. Also, the format for kindle was awful and should be fixed before publication.
October 7, 2020
On becoming a less extremely busy woman.
Lots of good advice. Do the worksheets. Not a lot new, but I had been losing track of taking care of myself and needed it.
Recommended if you're at least somewhat used to the idea of self care, and don't hate the assumptions of you already having a comfortable lifestyle.
Lots of good advice. Do the worksheets. Not a lot new, but I had been losing track of taking care of myself and needed it.
Recommended if you're at least somewhat used to the idea of self care, and don't hate the assumptions of you already having a comfortable lifestyle.
May 24, 2020
I think a more appropriate title for this book would have been "Self-Care For Women Who Work Office Jobs."
Don't get me wrong, I think there were some nuggets of useful information in this book, and I did come out of it with something. But I was extremely frustrated by the end of it and found myself pushing through to just finish it, not really absorbing any further information because I felt the lifestyle being presented to me was just so narrow.
I don't like to post negative reviews, but since this is a self-help book, I think it's beneficial to people to know what's going to be in it, so they can decide if it's right for them. It was not right for me; it may definitely be helpful for the audience it was intended for! But for those who find they are not the intended audience, here were my critiques:
First off, I found it depressingly romance-normative. There seemed to be an unspoken assumption throughout the book that the readers were straight women, who wanted or were already in relationships. There is a chapter on relationships, and the part speaking to singles, especially the worksheet for singles to fill out, seemed very much like an assumption that they WOULD eventually have a partner, or had one in the past, asking them to think about "what they had learned from love," and "what they looked for in a partner," rather than acknowledging straight on the fact that some people might not have or want romantic relationships.
Secondly, as I stated above this...was really for a narrow subsection of Women Who Work Office Jobs, and office jobs that make a bit of coin at that. I'm an hourly library worker. I don't have any say over my schedule, over when I come in or when I leave, over whether I work a weekend or not. How much time I devote to my job is out of my hands, and for people working retail or other jobs similar, that's probably even more so. I'm lucky to make a decent living at what I do and to have a decent amount of paid time off. I'm willing to bet there's a huge swath of busy women out there who work full-time retail jobs that don't offer much in the way of paid-time off, so two vacations a year, even staycations, simply aren't possible because that's a dip in pay.
Some of the advice really hinges on having extra money to spend, too. Having the money to buy "healthy" foods (or, you know, living in a place where you have ACCESS to that in the first place), having the money to take time off of work for even a staycation, let alone take an actual vacation, having the money to hire a dating coach???????? Also, multiple times the author recommends hiring someone to help out with things like...cleaning the house, or doing chores or errands. These are NOT options that the average person has access to. Even with my aforementioned decent job, there is NO WAY I would have the money to hire a life coach or whatever a dating coach is, much less someone to help with chores. It's hard enough swinging for my therapist as it is.
And my final gripe...is the take on food. I have personal reasons to be upset with the take on "eat healthy!!" that I won't go into, but I resent the way that this book, like so many others, plays into the narrative that eating healthy is a) possible for everyone and b) even necessarily the SAME for everyone. Maybe I'm just being petty, but I'm not going to suddenly cut out sugar and carbs. There is some scientific speculation that ENJOYING food is more important to nutritional intake.
Regardless, if you are someone who has struggled with disordered eating in the past? I DO NOT recommend this book to you. I've never struggled with it myself, but the current culture surrounding food and watching disordered eating in my friends and family have caused me to have a negative reaction to even the WORD "diet," so my views on this do not align with this book's at all.
Once again, all that being said...there WERE some things I gleaned from this book that were helpful to me. While I still believe the concept here is being peddled to a very specific subsection of people, this book will probably be helpful to that subsection, and for that, I'm happy for them. Simply, however, this narrow lifestyle did not apply to my life or appeal to me much at all.
Don't get me wrong, I think there were some nuggets of useful information in this book, and I did come out of it with something. But I was extremely frustrated by the end of it and found myself pushing through to just finish it, not really absorbing any further information because I felt the lifestyle being presented to me was just so narrow.
I don't like to post negative reviews, but since this is a self-help book, I think it's beneficial to people to know what's going to be in it, so they can decide if it's right for them. It was not right for me; it may definitely be helpful for the audience it was intended for! But for those who find they are not the intended audience, here were my critiques:
First off, I found it depressingly romance-normative. There seemed to be an unspoken assumption throughout the book that the readers were straight women, who wanted or were already in relationships. There is a chapter on relationships, and the part speaking to singles, especially the worksheet for singles to fill out, seemed very much like an assumption that they WOULD eventually have a partner, or had one in the past, asking them to think about "what they had learned from love," and "what they looked for in a partner," rather than acknowledging straight on the fact that some people might not have or want romantic relationships.
Secondly, as I stated above this...was really for a narrow subsection of Women Who Work Office Jobs, and office jobs that make a bit of coin at that. I'm an hourly library worker. I don't have any say over my schedule, over when I come in or when I leave, over whether I work a weekend or not. How much time I devote to my job is out of my hands, and for people working retail or other jobs similar, that's probably even more so. I'm lucky to make a decent living at what I do and to have a decent amount of paid time off. I'm willing to bet there's a huge swath of busy women out there who work full-time retail jobs that don't offer much in the way of paid-time off, so two vacations a year, even staycations, simply aren't possible because that's a dip in pay.
Some of the advice really hinges on having extra money to spend, too. Having the money to buy "healthy" foods (or, you know, living in a place where you have ACCESS to that in the first place), having the money to take time off of work for even a staycation, let alone take an actual vacation, having the money to hire a dating coach???????? Also, multiple times the author recommends hiring someone to help out with things like...cleaning the house, or doing chores or errands. These are NOT options that the average person has access to. Even with my aforementioned decent job, there is NO WAY I would have the money to hire a life coach or whatever a dating coach is, much less someone to help with chores. It's hard enough swinging for my therapist as it is.
And my final gripe...is the take on food. I have personal reasons to be upset with the take on "eat healthy!!" that I won't go into, but I resent the way that this book, like so many others, plays into the narrative that eating healthy is a) possible for everyone and b) even necessarily the SAME for everyone. Maybe I'm just being petty, but I'm not going to suddenly cut out sugar and carbs. There is some scientific speculation that ENJOYING food is more important to nutritional intake.
Regardless, if you are someone who has struggled with disordered eating in the past? I DO NOT recommend this book to you. I've never struggled with it myself, but the current culture surrounding food and watching disordered eating in my friends and family have caused me to have a negative reaction to even the WORD "diet," so my views on this do not align with this book's at all.
Once again, all that being said...there WERE some things I gleaned from this book that were helpful to me. While I still believe the concept here is being peddled to a very specific subsection of people, this book will probably be helpful to that subsection, and for that, I'm happy for them. Simply, however, this narrow lifestyle did not apply to my life or appeal to me much at all.
Read
January 26, 2020My favorite self-care will always be reading!
September 27, 2020
I don't often read self-help books but I really liked this one! I considered this book very helpful and even paradigm changing. I was often writing sentences of it in my notebooks as quotes to remember.
The chapter on setting your own boundaries alone is already worth reading it, and I'll buy a physical copy of this book to read it again too.
(My rating is pertaining solely to the very helpful text of the book, not its formatting which, in the digital advanced reader copy was quite confusing. I hope the final digital version of this book has it formatting revised.)
I would like to thank NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction) for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The chapter on setting your own boundaries alone is already worth reading it, and I'll buy a physical copy of this book to read it again too.
(My rating is pertaining solely to the very helpful text of the book, not its formatting which, in the digital advanced reader copy was quite confusing. I hope the final digital version of this book has it formatting revised.)
I would like to thank NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction) for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2019
A good journal/workbook to start on self care. There are stories, information and journal entries from her daughter's journal - which she explains early on. The prompts, questions and quizzes have space to write your response. This one can be a great help if wanting a place to put pen to paper.
Read
October 14, 2025DNF about halfway through.
As an avid hater of self-help books, you may be wondering why I even gave this one a go. Easy. I am an extremely busy woman who could use more self-care. You know what this book taught me? ANYONE can write a book (ok, this book didn’t teach me that but did remind me.)
Interested in a self-help book? Pick it up, thumb to the back. Does it have a reference section? No? Read about the author. Are they qualified to be speaking on the subject? No? Throw it back on the shelf babes.
While the author here never purports to be an expert in psychology, nutrition, therapy, etc., they don’t even do the job of thoroughly researching information from experts. A whole lotta “google this! Google that! Stop eating carbs!” It felt very lazy and way oversimplifies a lot of the concepts covered.
TL;DR: if you need help, go to therapy.
As an avid hater of self-help books, you may be wondering why I even gave this one a go. Easy. I am an extremely busy woman who could use more self-care. You know what this book taught me? ANYONE can write a book (ok, this book didn’t teach me that but did remind me.)
Interested in a self-help book? Pick it up, thumb to the back. Does it have a reference section? No? Read about the author. Are they qualified to be speaking on the subject? No? Throw it back on the shelf babes.
While the author here never purports to be an expert in psychology, nutrition, therapy, etc., they don’t even do the job of thoroughly researching information from experts. A whole lotta “google this! Google that! Stop eating carbs!” It felt very lazy and way oversimplifies a lot of the concepts covered.
TL;DR: if you need help, go to therapy.
Read
January 9, 2020I received a copy of this via Netgalley for an honest review.
This book doesnt contain anything that we dont already know in our heads and constantly push aside. It is an amazing reminder and one that I know I will be picking up multiple times throughout the year and probably far into the future. After reading it I am doing these little acts of self care and feeling much lighter as a result. I would highly recommend for anyone out there feeling burnt out by life and needing to find some joy.
This book doesnt contain anything that we dont already know in our heads and constantly push aside. It is an amazing reminder and one that I know I will be picking up multiple times throughout the year and probably far into the future. After reading it I am doing these little acts of self care and feeling much lighter as a result. I would highly recommend for anyone out there feeling burnt out by life and needing to find some joy.
November 29, 2022
It was fine. Some things were great but it felt like a lot of explaining and not a lot of reflection/doing. I am still trying to find a self help book that is more good than not.. and this one was better than a lot of other ones I have read, however, it isnt one I would grab again or recommend!
January 15, 2023
Such a wholesome book. There are lots of chapters where you kinda already know about the self-care she talks about but it’s the little sections where she really puts it into perspective that make the book! I would recommend this book as a nice introduction into self-care
September 10, 2022
It was a good book, nothing groundbreaking. Pretty standard for a self care/self help book.
September 1, 2023
It was OK. Easy, quick read, but mostly tailored to folks that work in an office setting.
June 2, 2020
There are not so many books that may change the way you see and perceive your life or even help you to open your eyes to the issues you kept avoiding for some time. This book did exactly this to me. I can’t even count how many times I postponed things important for me for the sake of getting the work done and how many times I regretted it but still kept living in this loop with rare moments of escaping it. The way this book is written is appealing probably to anyone in the same situation - working overtime, never taking days off when you feel like it, never taking breaks just to re-evaluate whether you’re actually pursuing something that you want and whether it fits you. And whenever I had doubts like ‘I have a different kind of work than the author has so I cannot do this and that’ I just continued reading and they all faded away by all the clear arguments and great storytelling. I loved getting these a-ha moments while reading it and I’m glad this book found me in the perfect moment for it.
The book probably won’t give anything new about self-care overall but it serves as a good motivation to finally stop and breathe. Also, I finally started to journal thanks to this book as it provided a bunch of questions you can write about for all kinds of themes described in the book and those questions definitely help to figure out what’s going on in your mind and finally to unmute the voice of your unconsciousness. The idea of this book is not to tell you about a success story or give you some timeless advice, it's about helping you to find your own path and stick to it and that's what makes this book so appealing.
The book probably won’t give anything new about self-care overall but it serves as a good motivation to finally stop and breathe. Also, I finally started to journal thanks to this book as it provided a bunch of questions you can write about for all kinds of themes described in the book and those questions definitely help to figure out what’s going on in your mind and finally to unmute the voice of your unconsciousness. The idea of this book is not to tell you about a success story or give you some timeless advice, it's about helping you to find your own path and stick to it and that's what makes this book so appealing.
January 8, 2020
I read The Extremely Busy Woman's Guide to Self-Care with an expectation in mind for what topics and chapters it might cover. However, the book was not what I envisioned, for both good and bad.
Many chapters covered topics like saying no, setting boundaries, making time for what's important, cutting out what's not important, etc. While those are important things to account for in order to organize the way you spend your time, it just wasn't exactly a match to my expectations for this book. Further, the galley was problematic with 50% more blank pages than pages with content.
So despite the fact that it may have been a little bit of a miss for me, after reading this book, I promptly made a change in my schedule the next day to spend quality time with my son, and I joined the Facebook Self Care Group organized by the author...and I am enjoying seeing the interaction and posts from extremely busy women seeking self care! The author is very wise and is right to help this new generation of overloaded women try to find peace and create some space for themselves in their lives!
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher and author for free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Many chapters covered topics like saying no, setting boundaries, making time for what's important, cutting out what's not important, etc. While those are important things to account for in order to organize the way you spend your time, it just wasn't exactly a match to my expectations for this book. Further, the galley was problematic with 50% more blank pages than pages with content.
So despite the fact that it may have been a little bit of a miss for me, after reading this book, I promptly made a change in my schedule the next day to spend quality time with my son, and I joined the Facebook Self Care Group organized by the author...and I am enjoying seeing the interaction and posts from extremely busy women seeking self care! The author is very wise and is right to help this new generation of overloaded women try to find peace and create some space for themselves in their lives!
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher and author for free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 7, 2022
I was excited for this book, but I don't think I'm the demographic for it. This book seems to focus on white, heterosexual, women who work 8 - 5 office jobs and don't make time for themselves.
While there is some good advice in this book, a lot of it is not accessible by people who don't have health insurance, don't have a spouse or someone to pick up the mental load, or are experiencing burnout or mental illness or trauma. The book talks about the importance of having a network to help you and an accountability buddy which is great, but if you're already struggling with those things (as many people are in a pandemic) the advice isn't particularly useful. Similarly a lot of the book felt patronizing and potentially harmful when it comes to advice about food. The advice to see a chiropractor instead of a doctor could also pan out poorly.
I like the concept of finding little ways every day to take care of yourself, but a lot of this book doesn't include the caveat that most advice included here requires someone to have the network, time, money, and space to carry out many of these activities.
While there is some good advice in this book, a lot of it is not accessible by people who don't have health insurance, don't have a spouse or someone to pick up the mental load, or are experiencing burnout or mental illness or trauma. The book talks about the importance of having a network to help you and an accountability buddy which is great, but if you're already struggling with those things (as many people are in a pandemic) the advice isn't particularly useful. Similarly a lot of the book felt patronizing and potentially harmful when it comes to advice about food. The advice to see a chiropractor instead of a doctor could also pan out poorly.
I like the concept of finding little ways every day to take care of yourself, but a lot of this book doesn't include the caveat that most advice included here requires someone to have the network, time, money, and space to carry out many of these activities.
January 9, 2020
I enjoyed this book as it set very clear and attainable ways to improve your self care, including very detailed instructions on how to ask for help clearly and with power and how to set boundaries. Those are topics often talked about, but never truly explained to others how to achieve them. This reads like a workbook with prompts and actionable steps. This is a great gift for new moms, working moms, career women and any other stressed individual (so...all of us)!
This book loses a star from because it reinforces the prevalent stereotype that the ONLY reason to practice self care is so that you can care better for everyone else. This is false. We need to teach women to practice self care for themselves because they are valuable, worthy, important people and NO OTHER REASON. When we tell women that caring for themselves is only a means to an end to running yourself ragged caring for others we set them up for a lifetime on an empty tank, emotionally and physically.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for honest feedback.
This book loses a star from because it reinforces the prevalent stereotype that the ONLY reason to practice self care is so that you can care better for everyone else. This is false. We need to teach women to practice self care for themselves because they are valuable, worthy, important people and NO OTHER REASON. When we tell women that caring for themselves is only a means to an end to running yourself ragged caring for others we set them up for a lifetime on an empty tank, emotionally and physically.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for honest feedback.
February 9, 2020
Fantastic self care book for anyone!
*ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION FAM* if that’s you, get this book! She actually gives you step by step things to work on. Lots of other books tell you to ‘find a hobby you like and do it’ but Suzanna gives you suggestions for hobbies and how to fit them in to your life - and all of the exercises in the book are useful! 10/10
*ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION FAM* if that’s you, get this book! She actually gives you step by step things to work on. Lots of other books tell you to ‘find a hobby you like and do it’ but Suzanna gives you suggestions for hobbies and how to fit them in to your life - and all of the exercises in the book are useful! 10/10
June 4, 2023
#259" In the days that passed, I learned that self-care is ultimately about the
exquisite act of simply being, without needing to be useful, effective,
organized, ambitious, or even good.
It is about stopping the endless doing and letting life flow around us,
carrying us, as we begin to pay close attention to our wants and needs."
BOOK:The Extremely Busy Woman's Guide to Self-Care: Do Less, Achieve More, and Live the Life You Want
AUTHOR: Suzanne Falter-Barns
GENRE: #selfhelp
RATING : 4.0 🌸
Selflove is what takes us to sel care, they are directly proportional. There is no selflove without selfcare and vice versa. Often times, what we feel is enough for us, might not be, it is just that we are so accustomed to it that we do not know. When we breakdown sometimes, we realize that we have been going on and on, and a question will arise in our heart "we have been going on and on, for what?" The roadblock we hit is an alert that says this is the time to change, this is the time to focus on yourself, just simply be you and accept you. Selfcare is not multitasking and being a genuis, selfcare is just going with the flow sometimes, being you, embracing the kind of person that you are, loving the person that you are even on your unlovable days, it is saying no whenever required, it is setting boundaries, it is having a good sleep or working on your home-garden, its taking a good shower and turning in with a nice book or partying with the people you love.
Selfcare in general is focusing more on you. It is in improving yourself into a healthier version, it is not neglecting yourself on your busy schedules. And suzanne, speaks all about how to get in touch with what you desire from what you have been doing all your life.
#theextremelybusywomansguidetoselfcare
#suzannefalter
#suzannefalterbarns
#selfcare
#selflove
#takecareofyourself
#review
#reviewofbook
#bookstagrampost
#booklover
#bookstagram
#readerssnapshot
#bookpost
exquisite act of simply being, without needing to be useful, effective,
organized, ambitious, or even good.
It is about stopping the endless doing and letting life flow around us,
carrying us, as we begin to pay close attention to our wants and needs."
BOOK:The Extremely Busy Woman's Guide to Self-Care: Do Less, Achieve More, and Live the Life You Want
AUTHOR: Suzanne Falter-Barns
GENRE: #selfhelp
RATING : 4.0 🌸
Selflove is what takes us to sel care, they are directly proportional. There is no selflove without selfcare and vice versa. Often times, what we feel is enough for us, might not be, it is just that we are so accustomed to it that we do not know. When we breakdown sometimes, we realize that we have been going on and on, and a question will arise in our heart "we have been going on and on, for what?" The roadblock we hit is an alert that says this is the time to change, this is the time to focus on yourself, just simply be you and accept you. Selfcare is not multitasking and being a genuis, selfcare is just going with the flow sometimes, being you, embracing the kind of person that you are, loving the person that you are even on your unlovable days, it is saying no whenever required, it is setting boundaries, it is having a good sleep or working on your home-garden, its taking a good shower and turning in with a nice book or partying with the people you love.
Selfcare in general is focusing more on you. It is in improving yourself into a healthier version, it is not neglecting yourself on your busy schedules. And suzanne, speaks all about how to get in touch with what you desire from what you have been doing all your life.
#theextremelybusywomansguidetoselfcare
#suzannefalter
#suzannefalterbarns
#selfcare
#selflove
#takecareofyourself
#review
#reviewofbook
#bookstagrampost
#booklover
#bookstagram
#readerssnapshot
#bookpost
December 15, 2019
This book shoud be purchased in a physical copy, not a digital.
I struggled getting into the book in the first couple of chapters. I understand the author was trying to tell the reader what her background was, but it really didn't draw me in. I also found it hard to relate to someone whose busy lifestyle was being her own boss running her own website. The book itself is NOT meant to be in an digital, it was really difficult to read on an ereader! Plus with all of the writing prompts it is really meant to be in a physical format.
Once I was able to get past the initial chapters it did get better. I found the quotes from the author's daughter to be delightful and incredibly insightful. The mini quizzes and activities were a fun exercise too but again, they needed to be done in a notebook. While I appreciate that the author was focusing on slowing down I feel that there are more sides to self care than slowing down. It's a good place to begin but really doesn't give you more tips and tricks on how to get self care in. Overall, it would be great as a workbook to get you started on the path of selfcare but there is definitely more that needs to go into it.
I struggled getting into the book in the first couple of chapters. I understand the author was trying to tell the reader what her background was, but it really didn't draw me in. I also found it hard to relate to someone whose busy lifestyle was being her own boss running her own website. The book itself is NOT meant to be in an digital, it was really difficult to read on an ereader! Plus with all of the writing prompts it is really meant to be in a physical format.
Once I was able to get past the initial chapters it did get better. I found the quotes from the author's daughter to be delightful and incredibly insightful. The mini quizzes and activities were a fun exercise too but again, they needed to be done in a notebook. While I appreciate that the author was focusing on slowing down I feel that there are more sides to self care than slowing down. It's a good place to begin but really doesn't give you more tips and tricks on how to get self care in. Overall, it would be great as a workbook to get you started on the path of selfcare but there is definitely more that needs to go into it.
September 15, 2020
I'm rating this as a four because I, personally, gained some very helpful insight from it. However, I was also aware that this book is not clear about how to navigate financial and privilege constraints.
Many of the tips are applicable to anyone, but I almost wish there had been a chapter about people who may have external limitations. For example, there's a section about making time for "vacation," even if it's just a weekend getaway. And while I can understand/appreciate that, there are people who work on the weekends and who are part-time so they don't get paid vacation days (like me at the moment...). Are there ways to work around this? Maybe. The author mentions exploring the local area, but I wish she'd gone a little deeper and offered additional ideas.
I realize that most of the book focuses on a mindset/mental awareness, and there really are some useful and reassuring sections, but I think I would have felt more at ease if she'd been more forthright by acknowledging various degrees of financial security/privilege and how those elements affect our ability to achieve the various elements of self-care that she mentions.
Many of the tips are applicable to anyone, but I almost wish there had been a chapter about people who may have external limitations. For example, there's a section about making time for "vacation," even if it's just a weekend getaway. And while I can understand/appreciate that, there are people who work on the weekends and who are part-time so they don't get paid vacation days (like me at the moment...). Are there ways to work around this? Maybe. The author mentions exploring the local area, but I wish she'd gone a little deeper and offered additional ideas.
I realize that most of the book focuses on a mindset/mental awareness, and there really are some useful and reassuring sections, but I think I would have felt more at ease if she'd been more forthright by acknowledging various degrees of financial security/privilege and how those elements affect our ability to achieve the various elements of self-care that she mentions.
September 9, 2024
The most unique thing about this book compared to others on time management is that it gives a platform to share her daughter’s words that she discovered in her personal journal after her daughter’s death. (The author’s daughter died young and unexpectedly.) The book comes across as a tribute to her daughter as it shares the author’s journey to find meaning and purpose in her life as she grappled with and recovered from the loss. Parts of her journey were touching, as were the nuggets of wisdom shared from her daughter’s personal journal which highlight many deep and mature reflections written by her daughter as a teen/young adult.
Aside from that, this book had basic advice about self care that emphasized time management more than anything else.
Two ideas are sticking with me from this book:
1. Reduce and minimize activities that are keeping you busy and not fulfilled. Then accept every new opportunity if it is line with your personal goals.
2. Take some time to just be. It’s okay to take time to be still. Periods of quiet and doing nothing make you more creative and well rested.
I liked the cover, so I checked it out when I happened across this book at the library. It is an okay read, but there’s nothing really new in here.
Aside from that, this book had basic advice about self care that emphasized time management more than anything else.
Two ideas are sticking with me from this book:
1. Reduce and minimize activities that are keeping you busy and not fulfilled. Then accept every new opportunity if it is line with your personal goals.
2. Take some time to just be. It’s okay to take time to be still. Periods of quiet and doing nothing make you more creative and well rested.
I liked the cover, so I checked it out when I happened across this book at the library. It is an okay read, but there’s nothing really new in here.
April 30, 2020
Self-Care in Princess Bites
If you are a typical woman, you have 20 million things going on all the time, and probably the last thing you think of is taking a little time for self-care. This book tells you why you should and leads you through a variety of mini essays that get you just thinking and doing something about it. We perhaps learn a little too much about the author, but there is some friendly advice and things to think about here. I appreciate that she doesn't just try to encourage you to manage your time better. So many of these kinds of books seem to want us to do that... as if that solves having too much to do: cram the same amount of stuff into less time. If you're feeling a little in need of self-care, you might want to pick up his book. Perhaps you should pick it up even if you don't!
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
If you are a typical woman, you have 20 million things going on all the time, and probably the last thing you think of is taking a little time for self-care. This book tells you why you should and leads you through a variety of mini essays that get you just thinking and doing something about it. We perhaps learn a little too much about the author, but there is some friendly advice and things to think about here. I appreciate that she doesn't just try to encourage you to manage your time better. So many of these kinds of books seem to want us to do that... as if that solves having too much to do: cram the same amount of stuff into less time. If you're feeling a little in need of self-care, you might want to pick up his book. Perhaps you should pick it up even if you don't!
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
April 26, 2022
This is a self care book written to guide women who are workers, mothers, wives, and overworked human beings to take care of themselves. The author comes from a unique standpoint because she’d recently lost her daughter Teal, who passed away but lived a short yet meaningful and carefree life that inspired the author to make this book. There are a lot of cute and admirable nuggets of wisdom from both Teal and the author on how to take care of and preserve your mental, physical, and emotional peace by learning how to say “no”, creating a work-life balance, and building self care habits into your everyday schedule with workbook exercises to guide you. Unfortunately the copy of the book I have doesn’t have the workbook piece and so much of the advice while helpful just didn’t or doesn’t seem tangible in the moment. I will check out her podcast and see if that’s worth looking into, but for a more tangible, actionable self care book I would look elsewhere.
July 31, 2019
I received this book as an ARC from Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book was a necessity to read because all of us not just working women struggle with this problem everyday. I have been waiting for someone to write a book about self-care in the busy life and I am so happy to see that Suzanne Falter was bold enough to take on the task. There were a lot of great tips and tricks that I will definitely try and if they work I will definitely pass them along to my friends and family and share with our patrons and community.
We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
This book was a necessity to read because all of us not just working women struggle with this problem everyday. I have been waiting for someone to write a book about self-care in the busy life and I am so happy to see that Suzanne Falter was bold enough to take on the task. There were a lot of great tips and tricks that I will definitely try and if they work I will definitely pass them along to my friends and family and share with our patrons and community.
We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
April 9, 2020
The authors daughter died and made her really examine her life. During her grief in the stillness began to listen to herself. Examined what did she want from each day? What did she need from each day? She slowed down and went within. She learned self care- the act of simply being without needing to be useful, effective, organized, or even good. Critical component of self care is rest and space.Plain old emptiness. Putting yourself first. Remember have to take care of myself first before I can take care of anyone else. We need to ask for what we need. Sleep,peaceful love,friends and family, real vacations, energy, fun, sanctuary, brain a rest,meditation. Working selfcare into your life. Plan on working on this.
April 19, 2020
I enjoy this book for a few reasons.
The author experienced the loss of a child. What could be more devastating? Stopped me in my tracks. It was when she found her daughters journals with lines of gratitude she did a complete 180.
I don't want to give more of the book away but encourage you to pick it up and dive in. Often times I feel that I am just reading a whole bunch of advice that doesn't fit my life and circumstances. Here Suzanne has though provoking questions to help you identify what you need, what's important to you and where you want to end up.
Highly recommended.
The author experienced the loss of a child. What could be more devastating? Stopped me in my tracks. It was when she found her daughters journals with lines of gratitude she did a complete 180.
I don't want to give more of the book away but encourage you to pick it up and dive in. Often times I feel that I am just reading a whole bunch of advice that doesn't fit my life and circumstances. Here Suzanne has though provoking questions to help you identify what you need, what's important to you and where you want to end up.
Highly recommended.
March 20, 2020
im quite positive i have ALMOST every page in her book bookmarked and highlighted. I have never been so blown away! & I found this book exactly when i needed it. I was burned out in a job that i was just a slave to. Suzanne gave me real life things to think about, to apply, and helped me change my life. I can confidently say the strategies she uses in this book and discusses, changed my life for the better. She makes you feel your feelings, take a huge reality check, and apply your priorities to who you are now and who you want to become.
November 12, 2019
I understand that I received an ARC of this book, however, the formatting was so off, it was incredibly difficult to read.
I didn't love this book. It really focuses on slowing down - which is important. But yet, this book was marketed towards women who are incredibly busy and I think there is more to self-care than just slowing down. It did have some good messages throughout the book, but overall, it just felt meh to me.
I didn't love this book. It really focuses on slowing down - which is important. But yet, this book was marketed towards women who are incredibly busy and I think there is more to self-care than just slowing down. It did have some good messages throughout the book, but overall, it just felt meh to me.
January 1, 2020
Still looking for a New Year's Resolution? You could do a lot worse that taking the advice given here, to make self-care a priority in life. It's not self-indulgent, in fact, taking care of your own needs can make life easier and more productive. I love the message: stop beating yourself with a stick, start treating yourself with kindness.
Great message, but lost a bit in fairly standard kinds of advice and waffle. And if I'm being honest, I found all the dead daughter journal quotes a little on the creepy side.
Full review is up on my blog.
Happy New Year! :)
Great message, but lost a bit in fairly standard kinds of advice and waffle. And if I'm being honest, I found all the dead daughter journal quotes a little on the creepy side.
Full review is up on my blog.
Happy New Year! :)
February 11, 2020
Life can be hard sometimes and especially when you are a woman, married with two children, two jobs and a house to take care of.
I am earnest that I take all the help I can get and this book had some pretty good advice for me.
Because you have to start with yourself and how you need to chance how you view things that you may not be able to change.
So thanks for letting me read this great book.
I am earnest that I take all the help I can get and this book had some pretty good advice for me.
Because you have to start with yourself and how you need to chance how you view things that you may not be able to change.
So thanks for letting me read this great book.
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