The Art of Chilling Out for Women: 100+ Ways to Replace Worry and Stress with Spiritual Healing, Self-Care, and Love

Coleman (A Journey Toward Womanhood), founder of female empowerment nonprofit Sisterhood Agenda, presents an earnest but unsuccessful guide that promises to transform “stressed-out worriers” into “relaxation warriors.” In 101 brief entries, Coleman accompanies each piece of tension-reducing advice with an affirmation, a plan for shifting one’s behavior, and ideas for using feng shui and specific plants and gemstones for healing. For example, readers can “feel [their] feelings” (tip 16) with the affirmation “I allow myself to feel what I feel when I feel it,” while those wishing to “prevent self-sabotage” (tip 42) might “make a detailed plan to reclaim your time and energy spent taking care of others” or burn herbs such as skullcap “for relinquishing control.” Elsewhere, she recommends the stressed “get restorative rest” and “learn what [their] spirit needs.” While Coleman outlines some concrete rituals (writing out “aspects of your life that you want to release to the Universe” and then burning the list), her interventions are more often confusingly vague (tip 88 encourages readers to “prioritize the vibe”) or too reliant on stock positivity to mean much of anything. Readers seeking substance to go along with the solace should look elsewhere. (Apr.)