欧宝娱乐

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Jan. 7, 2025

Have you ever been labeled 鈥渧ery Type A?鈥� Perhaps 鈥渁nal retentive鈥�? Or, on the positive side of things, 鈥渞eliable鈥�, 鈥渙rganized鈥� or even 鈥渙bsessive鈥�? (It鈥檚 me, hi, I鈥檓 the problem, it鈥檚 me) . If so, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen, the author of 鈥�How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety鈥� has introduced another book that is specifically geared to those of us who are self-declared perfectionists, 鈥�How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists鈥�.

First of all, Ellen Hendriksen is a psychologist, so she knows her stuff. But, beyond that (and most important), she also identifies as a perfectionist, so she fully understands the struggle. It is likely the combination of these characteristics that make 鈥淓nough鈥� relatable, easy to read and even (gasp) helpful.

Hendriksen uses anecdotes from her own clients (names have been changed, obviously) as well as information garnered from other studies, to help those of us who can鈥檛 ask for help, see common human errors as a personal flaw and re-examine situations in our life until they are blown out of proportion.

鈥淓nough鈥� is different than other self-help books in many important ways but the biggest one for me was that Hendriksen doesn鈥檛 talk about perfectionism as something that 鈥渘eeds to be changed鈥�. She talks about its positive attributes, and how it is the result of both nature and nurture on our bodies (and therefore, it can鈥檛 be completely removed). She provides doable strategies with achievable goals without once labeling the reader as someone who is, in some way, lacking. Hendriksen focuses on the behaviours associated with perfectionism that may bother us in some way, and she provides us with ways to change these specific behaviours simply by looking at them through a different lens.

I knew of Hendriksen鈥檚 book on social anxiety, but I didn鈥檛 read it (although it probably would be helpful as well). I definitely related to 鈥淓nough鈥� on every level, and Hendriksen, first off, allowed me to be heard and then, allowed me to accept myself and finally, put some ideas out there that could help the behaviours that annoy me (and probably others) the most. There were so many times when I looked around me for hidden cameras, wondering if Hendriksen had somehow been able to see into my life and my brain, and I know that if you have a similar personality, something in 鈥淓nough鈥� will help you understand yourself a little bit more, without shaming you or making you think you are broken or damaged. 鈥淓nough鈥� is meant for a certain reader with a specific personality type, but there are definitely a lot of us, and Hendriksen is speaking to each and every one.