From My Desk
A new feature for readers of King's Chronicles
What’s On My Desk
Every so often, I'd like to share a resource I've found genuinely worthwhile—a book, website, podcast, tool, or other discovery that has challenged my thinking, taught me something useful, or simply made me stop and think.
Today’s conversation with a book is a short Kindle book that surprised me.
The Mindset of Crisis Management by Jane Holder
This isn’t a comprehensive psychology textbook, nor is it filled with groundbreaking research. Instead, it’s a practical little book that asks a simple question:
How do we keep ourselves emotionally healthy when life suddenly becomes difficult?
Holder walks through subjects like stress, anxiety, depression, caring for yourself, caring for others, healthy habits, and maintaining balance during a crisis, and she often offers a different way of looking at those things. For instance, though I’ve seen lots of good definitions of depression over the years (a condition I struggle with), Holder said, “It is the feeling in which we cannot do what we want to do, because there is no point to it,” a definition that makes me sit up in recognition.
I realized I most appreciate that she encouraged me to notice things I often overlook or forget.
For instance, she writes that we have control over our personal environment, and that managing anxiety often begins by focusing on what we actually can control. That immediately reminded me of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who argued that much of our suffering comes from confusing what belongs to us with what doesn’t. Whether Holder intended the connection or not, I found it helpful.
Another line that stayed with me was her encouragement to “nourish our soul as much as we nourish our body.” That’s good advice whether you’re facing a global pandemic or simply one of those weeks when everything seems to arrive at once.
I also appreciated that she distinguishes between eliminating difficult emotions and learning to manage them. That’s a healthier goal, and probably a more realistic one.
Not every point landed perfectly for me.
For example, she frames our response to crisis largely as choosing between fight and flight. I found myself wondering about the “freeze” response that’s often discussed today, and I think there are certainly situations where retreat is the wisest choice, though she seemed to imply that fleeing or freezing would usually be an unhealthy response.
But I didn’t feel those differences diminished the overall value of the book. If anything, they made me think more carefully about my own assumptions.
That’s usually a sign I’m reading something worthwhile.
If you’re looking for a brief, inexpensive read on navigating the inevitably challenging seasons of life, I think it’s well worth grabbing this book.
📚 Today’s resource: The Mindset of Crisis Management by Jane Holder.
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