Holidays can be stressful. Between visiting with family members and picking out gifts, this time of year can be hard (and it doesn’t help that the weather isn’t great). Luckily, your local library is offering ways to help you de-stress. Central Library is offering an Invitation to Weaving Workshop on December 1, Northside Library will be hosting a Holiday Season Meditation on December 4, and the Louisa County Library is hosting a Starry Night Program on December 10.

Check out our calendar for even more events.

You can also stop by the library and pick up a book about dealing with stress. Here are a few titles to get you started:

The Mindful Day by Laurie Cameron – Noted teacher and mindfulness expert Laurie Cameron shows how to seamlessly integrate mindfulness practice into your life. Straightforward exercises designed for busy schedules – from the morning commute to back-to-back meetings to family dinners – show how mindfulness practice can help you navigate any situation with control and clarity.

Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me by Charlamagne Tha God – Details the ways anxiety has been a driving force in Charlamagne’s life since childhood. Even after achieving national prominence as a radio personality, Charlamagne still found himself paralyzed by thoughts that he wouldn’t be able to take his career to the next level. But now he is working through these problems with help from mentors, guests on his show, and therapy. He knows therapy and showing weakness are anxiety producing in the black community, but this is one of the reasons he wants to own his truth- to clear a path for others in hopes that they won’t feel shame while dealing openly with their mental health.

The Age of Overwhelm (ebook) by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky – Offers concrete strategies to help us mitigate harm, cultivate our ability to be decent and equitable, and act with integrity. The Age of Overwhelm aims to help ease our burden of overwhelm, restore our perspective, and give us strength to navigate what is yet to come.

For kids:
Just Breathe by Mallika Chopra – Includes practical advice on breathing techniques and guided meditations for a number of topics and scenarios, including: dealing with stress; getting to sleep; building self-confidence; focusing on school/tests/other work; and ridding oneself of anxiety.