A review by wordswithrach
Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Overwhelming Thoughts and Feelings Into Your Greatest Allies by Alison Cook, Kimberly June Miller
4.0
Do negative emotions like anger or anxiety define and overwhelm you? If so, BOUNDARIES FOR YOUR SOUL teaches you how to create lasting change so those emotions no longer control you.
When I first read that the author utilizes the Internal Family Systems Theory to overcome emotions, I braced myself for something similar to my old college textbooks. However, after reading further, I was pleasantly surprised. This book provides all of the useful information you may find in a college textbook but on a very relatable level.
Throughout this book, your imagination is often used as a tool, but I don’t think this would work for everyone nor do I think it is a necessary step to successfully work through troubling emotions. Personally, I have never been able to successfully imagine my emotions next to me, so I didn’t find it very relatable.
One of the steps is to "befriend" your emotion. Initially, I had a negative response to this word because it seemed to imply that we are to embrace our sinful parts rather than uproot them. I would wholly disagree with this, and I am glad that the author clarified this point in the beginning. As the book progressed, it became clear what the author meant by “befriend”.
This book is definitely written through a Christian lens, but new believers may not be familiar with how to live a life led by the Spirit. A better introduction into being “Spirit-led self” would have been helpful.
The last part of the book was the most valuable in my opinion because each chapter is broken up into different emotions. The two authors use their own processes and examples to walk through that particular emotion while pointing out the good and bad that can come from it.
As someone who has spent time talking through emotional issues in counseling, I see the value in reading a book like this, especially if you are hesitant to take the first step to meet with a counselor.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book. 3.5/5 stars
I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When I first read that the author utilizes the Internal Family Systems Theory to overcome emotions, I braced myself for something similar to my old college textbooks. However, after reading further, I was pleasantly surprised. This book provides all of the useful information you may find in a college textbook but on a very relatable level.
Throughout this book, your imagination is often used as a tool, but I don’t think this would work for everyone nor do I think it is a necessary step to successfully work through troubling emotions. Personally, I have never been able to successfully imagine my emotions next to me, so I didn’t find it very relatable.
One of the steps is to "befriend" your emotion. Initially, I had a negative response to this word because it seemed to imply that we are to embrace our sinful parts rather than uproot them. I would wholly disagree with this, and I am glad that the author clarified this point in the beginning. As the book progressed, it became clear what the author meant by “befriend”.
This book is definitely written through a Christian lens, but new believers may not be familiar with how to live a life led by the Spirit. A better introduction into being “Spirit-led self” would have been helpful.
The last part of the book was the most valuable in my opinion because each chapter is broken up into different emotions. The two authors use their own processes and examples to walk through that particular emotion while pointing out the good and bad that can come from it.
As someone who has spent time talking through emotional issues in counseling, I see the value in reading a book like this, especially if you are hesitant to take the first step to meet with a counselor.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book. 3.5/5 stars
I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.