Goodreads is my number one source when it comes to discovering new books. I log on nearly every day to see what my connections have been reading and have rated as excellent, and naturally, these books are slowly added to my to-read list, which is now at 1,268! One other way I find new books is by entering Goodreads’ giveaways, where I was lucky enough to receive this book.
Sabbatical of the Mind: The Journey from Anxiety to Peace is David L. Winters’ journey in temporary unemployment, a search for a way to reduce his anxiety, and his successful re-entry to work. To be able to give my opinion accurately in this review, I need to start with what I didn’t like about the book. I feel guilty saying this as a Catholic but, for me, it was just a bit too religion based. I don’t mean this in any disrespect to the author and his religion. I guess, as someone going through anxiety myself, I just didn’t find God as the answer as plausible as he did. It made it harder for me to relate to Winters and as a result, I didn’t get as much from the book as I originally thought I would. However, I have to admit there were times I was jealous of his strong relationship with God. To have that comfort must be a real help.
On the positive side, Winters is a good storyteller and his simple language made the book easy to read but didn’t diminish the struggles he was going through. I felt that he provided a very good build up to where he is today, not just by recalling his sabbatical, but also through stories of his past and the various times he began to realise his anxiety was becoming a major problem.
Winters doesn’t endorse taking a sabbatical. He very much so keeps the story to his personal experience, why he took it and how he made it worthwhile. Nevertheless, he has sold the idea of a sabbatical to me. Not necessarily in the form of taking months off work, but remembering to step back from the stress and looking after my mental health from time to time.
I can’t overly recommend this book as it really wasn’t for me but I would recommend it if you are looking for stories of spiritual guidance.
Joyful Antidotes 
Nice review. I would have been interested in reading this book based on the title alone, so it is useful to know about the large religious component, as that is not something I would be able to connect with. But on the topic of taking a sabbatical from work to help your mental health – I am currently taking 6 months off work to help recover from anxiety and depression. To be honest, 3 months in, I do not know if this is going to help me return to work, I know there is an avoidance issue here, but I was at the point where I physically could not work so for me a break was necessary. I am enjoying being able to discover things in life that bring me joy so it has been good for that reason. I think it will be different for everyone and I definitely recommend taking some time to put your health first 🙂
Thanks for your honest comment. You are absolutely right, no matter what it is that works for you, the most important thing is putting your health first. I’m glad to read you are discovering new things that make you happy and I wish you all the best x