A&B #75

🙏  Support:This week's newsletter was made possible by LIT Videobooks.Ever wish you could watch your favorite non-fiction books? Now you can. LIT turns bestselling non-fiction books into documentary-style formats. With videobook, you'll learn directly from the author as they explain the core ideas of each chapter in their book. Use code "FIRST5" to get your first videobook for only $5!

👋 Hey everyone,

Here are two popular posts you may have missed:

• The last book recommendation thread you'll ever need

• 20 books that will help you become a better version of yourself

PS: I'm doing a

25 book giveaway on Instagram

and another 

📚 Book Lessons:

This week's book is Chatter by Ethan Kross.Ethan Kross is a psychologist who spent 20 years studying how people talk to themselves. In his book, he shares practical strategies for harnessing your inner critic and dealing with negative self-talk. Here are 3 lessons from it:1) Pretend You're A Fly On The WallWhen you're in your head, it can be difficult to see things clearly and from a neutral point of view.So if you find yourself experiencing chatter over a negative interaction, pretend you're a fly on the wall to get some distance from the situation and see it from a different perspective.Doing this will help you quiet your inner voice, reduce negative emotions, and help you make better decisions. 2) Reinterpret Threats As ChallengesWhen faced with a stressful event, your heart will start pumping more blood but your body will react differently depending on how you view the situation.If you view it as a threat, your veins and arteries will constrict. But if you view it as a challenge, your veins and arteries will relax.And research shows that those who frame their stressor as a challenge think, feel, and perform better than those who view it as a threat.3) Release Negativity Through WritingOne study found that people who wrote about their most upsetting negative experiences for 15-20 a day for 1-3 days felt better, visited the doctor less, and had healthier immune systems. So, write about your negative experience or thoughts for 15 mins a day for 1-3 days. Don't worry about grammar or spelling.Doing this will help you make sense of what you felt and improve how you felt about the experience over time.

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Pretend you're a fly on the wall:

• Doing this will help you get some distance from the situation and see things from a different perspective. 

2) Reinterpret threats as challenges:

• When faced with a stressful situation, view it as a challenge instead of a threat.

• Doing this will help you feel and perform better.

3) Release negativity through writing:

• Grab a pen and get your negative thoughts out of your head and onto paper. 

• Don't worry about grammar or spelling.

• Do this for 15 minutes for 1-3 days and you'll feel much better.

🎧  Podcast Update:

No new episode this week but here are 20 podcasts you should check out.

📖  Reading Lesson:America is in a reading crisis.New data on book reading shows that reading is on the decline.Here are 12 scary stats that we need to stop.

⭐️  Weekly Quote:If you are overthinking, write.If you are underthinking read.(check out this cool visual here)

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next Sunday!Read on,Alex W.