To Break or Bounce: Finding Balance, Stability, and Resilience in Our Lives

Podiatric physician and motivational speaker Plumb expertly explains in her ruminative debut how to navigate sadness and heartbreak with resilience, drawing hard-won lessons from her own life experiences. Plumb’s mother died in a car accident when she was a young child, and afterward she grew incredibly close to her grandmother. After her grandmother died when Plumb was in her mid-20s, Plumb recognized the importance of being able to bend—but not break—under stress, and learned the skills necessary to do so. Those skills include moving past barriers built of sorrow and shame; acknowledging and addressing pain rather than pretending it has no affect; dealing with stress in a productive manner; acknowledging betrayal, but not allowing it to define one’s self; and treating one’s self with compassion. “Balance, not perfection, is the light at the top of the well and is only achieved when the heart and mind are in alignment,” she counsels. Plumb holds nothing back in her frank and helpful musings, as when she expresses her regrets over not being present for her grandmother’s death. Empowering and empathetic, this work will be welcomed by those struggling to survive and thrive in tough circumstances. (Feb.)