The Senate House Library Wellbeing Collection has a new home!

The shapeless unease: a year of not sleeping by Samantha Harvey from the Personal stories section of the SHL Wellbeing Collection

A deeply introspective memoir, written in a fragmented, stream-of-consciousness style, this is an unsettling portrayal of insomnia, offering glimpses into the emotional and physical toll of this often underacknowledged human affliction. The narrative can be disjointed at times, mirroring the chaos of sleepless nights, but the writing is raw and beautifully poetic, capturing the unravelling of boundaries between time and reality and the anguish that this brings. At its very best the book is a meditation on the complexities of the human condition. I loved the author’s profound insights into grief, anxiety, the fragility of the human mind, and the lengths one goes to find peace. For anyone struggling with insomnia and its life altering effects, this is a compelling read.

Reviewed by Mura Ghosh, Academic Librarian.

No such thing as normal by Bryony Gordon from the General mental wellbeing section of the SHL Wellbeing Collection

A previous boss always used to ask me “is this going in Lucy’s big book of worries?” Usually when I was at the beginning of an anxiety spiral! Bryony Gordon, the author of No Such Thing as Normal, definitely has a big book of worries and her book looks at both normalising the problems people have with their mental health while also offering practical tips and support. It was refreshing to read a no-nonsense guide which draws on the author’s own experiences. I often find these kinds of practical guides either too focused on the experiences of the author or too trite in their affirmations. This guide was both useful and comforting. My book of worries might still be a pretty weighty tome but I know I am not the only one!

Reviewed by Lucy Evans, Head of Collections.                   

The chimp paradox by Prof Steve Peters from the General mental wellbeing section of the SHL Wellbeing Collection

I am recommending The Chimp Paradox, written by Professor Steve Peters. I first read this some years ago and have enjoyed returning to it recently in SHL’s Wellbeing Collection. 

The aim of The Chimp Paradox is for readers to understand how their brain works and why we are often overwhelmed and hijacked by unwanted thoughts and feelings. Peters, a psychiatrist and academic, uses “The Chimp Model” to simplify the complex science of the brain, and to explain how we can change unwanted thought processes and behaviours. 

In the model, the brain is conceptualised as having three distinct psychological parts: the Human (which is essentially you, the person); the Chimp (the emotional machine); and the Computer, which stores information and experiences for future reference. The Human and the Chimp have independent personalities with different agendas, ways of thinking and modes of operating. Hence there is a battle constantly going on in our heads between the Chimp’s emotional responses and the Human’s logical ones. The book focuses on how to manage the “Chimp” in your head. 

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to make sense of their emotions and behaviours and learn practical tips for managing them. The book does not espouse positive thinking, or ask that you change or ignore your emotions, but provides useful, workable techniques for better interactions, stress management and success.

Reviewed by Louise James, Customer Services Manager.

When the body says no: the cost of hidden stress by Gabor Maté, M.D from the Stress section of the SHL Wellbeing Collection

Gabor Mate is a Canadian physician who worked for many years in palliative care and noticed similarities in the personalities and behaviours of his patients. In this book he combines his knowledge and experience with science and the latest research to explore the view that the mind and body are linked, and points out that this information is not yet taught in medical schools. The medical world still treats the body and mind separately, instead of holistically, and if a person presents at a doctors, they are unlikely to be asked if they are stressed or have any trauma or other psychological issues that could be contributing to whatever illness or pain they feel.

This book is essentially a large case study of patients Mate has seen throughout the years, and research that has been done, to show how our emotions, traumas and mental cycles dictate our health and wellbeing throughout life. Not only do they affect our physiology and way of thinking and perceiving the world, they also shape our relationships, our behaviours and ultimately our health. 

Gabor shows how important boundaries are, and how emotional suppression affects our physiology in terms of disease.

Reviewed by Cassy Langley, Library Assistant.           

The poetry pharmacy : tried-and-true prescriptions for the heart, mind and soul by William Sieghart from the Bibliotherapy section of the SHL Wellbeing Collection

The Poetry Pharmacy is a unique collection of poems curated by William Sieghart, designed to offer comfort, solace, and inspiration for people experiencing various emotional and mental health challenges. This book is structured like a medical guide, with each poem acting as a 'prescription' for a specific ailment such as anxiety, grief, loneliness or depression. Each poem is accompanied by Sieghart's insightful commentary, explaining why the poem was chosen and how it can help the reader cope with particular feelings or situations. 

The poems “prescribed” in this anthology cover an impressive range of different situations which might affect a person’s sense of wellbeing including convalescence, feelings of unreality, news overload and unrequited love. This is an easy welcoming book which you can dip into on a bad day or to take your time over and re-read many times. As Sieghart writes in the introduction to this book: “You don’t have to be a Poet to find solace in poetry”. 

Reviewed by Emma Fitzpatrick, Serial and Digital Resources Coordinator.

One-year art journal : daily prompts to spark your creativity, editor, Eun H. Jeong from the Art Therapy section of the SHL Wellbeing Collection:

Inspired by Emma’s quote from the Poetry Pharmacy, “You don’t have to be a Poet to find solace in poetry”, I transferred this belief to art journalling, thinking that you don’t have to be an artist to enjoy a bit of artistic expression. Art journalling means different things to different people; for some it is a way of trying new art techniques, for others a way of processing thoughts and feelings or displaying their visual ideas, but it can be so much more. 

With this in mind, I chose to review Eun H. Jeong’s One-year art journal: daily prompts to spark your creativity, as it claims that “art journalling is one of the most forgiving ways to make art as you create art that is safely contained within your own personal book and you may choose to never share any of your pages with anyone or everyone.” I particularly liked the stress on the forgiving and safe nature of the exercise. The book encourages you to choose between more free-form and expressive journalling or a more “finished” art product on each page. It gives you some ideas on how to get started and has extremely helpful prompts. 

One thing that I would suggest is that you get your own art journal to try out the daily prompts in this book, rather than painting or drawing in the Library’s copy. This will enable you to continue making art and supporting you sense of wellbeing through journalling after you return the book to the Library. Many people declare that they are bad at drawing, but books like this one allow us to remember what a fun skill drawing is, even if we are not showing signs of greatness, and we shouldn’t forget that drawing encourages dopamine release in the brain. So, all things considered, this book deserves its place in the Wellbeing Collection (with a few practical considerations). 

Reviewed by Andrea Meyer-Ludowisy, Academic Librarian.

If our reviews have inspired you to learn more about the Senate House Library Wellbeing Collection, why not stop by our new home on the fourth floor of Senate House Library (between the membership desk and the entrance to the Goldsmiths’ Reading Room) and have a browse during your next visit. Or visit the SHL Wellbeing Collection website to see all of the books and online resources which this collection offers. We hope that you enjoy taking a break from your studies in our new Wellbeing Collection space.