On audiobooks and Good Anxiety

Finished reading "Good Anxiety" by Wendy Suzuki today. Do I still consider it a read book if I consume it via audiobooks? I know purists might disagree that it counts. I used to up until recently.

I struggle with immmense bouts of anxiety and depression, so the title was a definite attention grabber. Although I have encountered strategies to make peace with the two, I've never thought of them as super power. Yet, that's exactly what Suzuki insists.

Anxiety as a super-power? Sounds wrong.

The book demonstrates this by way of viarous stories (the author's included). She introduces Activist Mindset, a state of being helps you steer clear from maladaptive responses to anxiety. To control your flight v. fight response and observe the situation instead.

Yet, it seems just like mindfulness with another name. She even touches on the topic of mindfulness, albeit with no clear differences to be discussed.

This isn't a proper review of the book. Well, this isn't a review at all- much less a proper one. But this book definitely strikes me as more of an emotional read - e.g memoir / biographical, than a pop-sci or even self-help book.

Suzuki attemtps to bring her academic sensities writing but misses the mark. It's halfway there with scientific details and halfway there with emotional connections. You feel the emotional impact of Suzuki's sudden loss of a brother, but then it flips into a literary eye of the tiger training montage. She pulls through and delivers the most amazing speech in the memorial. Her words just don't convey the emotional gravity of the situation. And as a result, it feels cliche.

It takes a very human situation, and instrumentalizes it. Disconnected.

I wish I could say that the suggestions on dealing with anxiety were enough to merit a recommendation or reread. But no. Although based on science, it reads soulless because "sources say" and "studies show" don't exactly scream topical expertise. Not to mention, the little bits of science scattered around the book are overwhelmingly stupefied. Like soggy croutons in your salad, and not enough of it.

That being said, her suggestions of exercise, meditation, sleep, and better eating are solid. This book is obviously geared towards folks new to anxiety - esp this kind of situational anxiety. I object to the repackaging of age-old advice in a shiny new package.

That this is yet another book - in a family of many* - that focus on instrumentalizing you is a problem from my point of view. Use your anxiety so you can cram even more productivity in your life. Not really deal with it.

I wonder what others thought about this.