Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety
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Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Charlie Hoehn (Author), Ray Chase (Narrator), Podium Audio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 640 ratings
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Do you live in constant fear? Do you worry that something terrible is about to happen? Do you have trouble breathing, relaxing, and sleeping? Do you think you're losing control, and that you're going to die?

Are you trapped in your own personal hell, and don’t know how to get out?

I've been there, and I know what it’s like. Shallow breathing, tension in the gut, chest pains, rapid heartbeat... Every moment is exhausting, crushing, and painful. Anxiety destroys your confidence, your productivity, your relationships, and your ability to enjoy life. The worst part is the obsessive hopelessness - the gnawing sense that you’ll never feel happy again.

Fear no more. You can put an end to your suffering. You can start living again. And it’s not as hard as you think....

Play It Away covers my entire journey: what caused my anxiety, the "A-ha!" moment that led to my cure, and how I got my life back. In this book, you’ll learn:

  • The key breakthrough that allowed me to enjoy life again
  • My step-by-step plan for healing anxiety without drugs
  • How I turned nonstop worrying into background noise
  • My unusual technique for stopping panic attacks
  • Why "anchors" fuel anxiety, and how to remove them
  • How I finally started sleeping well again
  • Three common nutrient deficiencies that amplify anxiety
  • How to boost productivity and have guilt-free fun

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    2 hours and 51 minutes
  2. Author
    Charlie Hoehn
  3. Narrator
    Ray Chase
  4. Audible release date
    May 16, 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Podium Audio
  7. ASIN
    B00JZWZFL8
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 2 hours and 51 minutes
Author Charlie Hoehn
Narrator Ray Chase
Audible.com Release Date May 16, 2014
Publisher Podium Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00JZWZFL8
Best Sellers Rank #89,964 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#375 in Stress Management (Audible Books & Originals)
#783 in Business Motivation & Self-Improvement (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,519 in Stress Management Self-Help

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
640 global ratings
I'm glad I remembered a book recommendation from a friend and ...
5 Stars
I'm glad I remembered a book recommendation from a friend and ...
For once, I'm glad I remembered a book recommendation from a friend and followed through to get a copy! I read Charlie's book today on a two-hour flight to San Francisco. It was an easy, inspiring read and I am sure a lot of us share at times anxiety of a world spinning too fast. I've had those "stop the world I want to get off" moments. Reading this books reminds me how easily I can fix that for myself by simply remembering to Play. Life truly is to short and I forget how lucky I am and how awesome it can be when everything is approached in a playful, fun way.With tons of fun quotes and an open heart, Charlie has shared his darkest moments and stood tall to move past them into a happier place.My next stop is to actually give some of the ideas, big and small, a try but this book has been an inspiration. #PlayItAway
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Top reviews from the United States

Mary Lou Acosta
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I read in 2019!
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
One of the best books I read in 2019!

When you're feeling tired, depressed and depleted, you just want to read something that is short and straight to the point. This is what I liked the most about this book. It's very easy to read and I found it very helpful!

3 years have passed since I read this book, but I'm still doing the things Charlie wrote in the book:

1. Fixing my micronutrient deficiencies - long term stress took toll on my body that I couldn't feel hunger even if I had not eaten for days except for a slice of cake (!!!) I had no appetite and I didn't have energy to do anything. Even taking a shower became a difficult chore! Once I got my micronutrient fixed and learned to eat properly I had more energy to....
2. Play - I still can't believe I used to feel guilty to rest/play. I schedule time now to spend time with my friends. I am also grateful that the company I am currently working for right now values employees’ well-being.

Thanks Charlie for writing this book! Life's better!
4 people found this helpful
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Matvei
5.0 out of 5 stars Simplistic and quick, yet powerful read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
Charlie and I share very similar paths to the eventual symptoms discussed. The is a simplistic and quick, yet powerful read. Highly recommend the book!

What initially drew me to this book was Charlie's relationship with authors I've already enjoyed immensely and highly resepect - Tim Ferriss and Ramit Sethi.

A couple of my own points:

-He mentions vitamin B deficiencies as being a source of anxiety and similar. This is true, however, use caution when supplementing with vitamin B as it can have a paradoxical effect on certain people (myself included) and cause anxiety to go through the roof.

-He briefly touches on the health of your gut being an important factor. I strongly feel this should be brought more into focus. Stress causes adrenal fatigue, candida overgrowth, leaky gut syndrome, with food intolerance/sensitivities/allergies somewhere in between. I can personally attest that this has a HUGE effect on your mental wellbeing, as well as overall wellbeing. Get yourself checked out by a naturopathic doctor, eliminate residual stress, and unlearn the physical process that causes the above issues.

-Last but certainly not least, my belief in God has an everlasting effect on me that cannot be attained through any other source. The ever present knowledge of his love and power to get you through life is a major factor in overcoming anxiety/depression and never feeling completely alone in the world. Not trying to push religion onto people, but I'd be doing myself a disservice not mentioning this.

Cheers!
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to pick a star rating for this anything from 1 star to 4 stars is appropriate!
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
Difficult to pick a star rating for this anything from 1 star to 4 stars is appropriate!

I will endeavor to explain.

First, as a BIG fan of Charlie, I must point out nearly all this material is already available for free either on Tim Ferris' blog or Charlie's blog or some other blog where Charlie has guest commentated. There is very little new material. For Charlie fans, this juxtaposition possesses an interesting conundrum. I viewed the price I paid for THIS BOOK as the price I should have paid for that material I already consumed for free. However, I was actually hoping Charlie was going to show case new material.

Second, even if this material is new for you. The book is 168 pages with mostly pictures and huge margins - not much material. You can literally read this book in less than 2 hours (and I am an atrociously slow reader!).

Third, the material is in most cases extremely basic and common sense.

Fourth, the format of this book is horrible and is the biggest reason I could never give this book 5 stars. I never seen a book organized so poorly. Basically, as soon as the author starts a chapter, makes an intro on a subject THEN REDIRECTS YOU TO A WEBSITE / BLOG / PRODUCT SELLER and finishes with "read more there..." or a comment to that effect. Insulting. Embarrassing. Disgusting. We bought the book to you know.... read that material IN THE BOOK!

That said, if you have never heard of Charlie before, you are in for a treat. This book will ground you in his story and easily touch on his best learning experiences in one quick digestible read.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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alain
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone suffering from anxiety
Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
I liked how honest and open the author was about his experiences with anxiety. That takes guts!! I could completely relate with his experiences and the book made me feel better about my situation . It gave me valuable perspective.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in India on November 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great book for those who feel have hit a wall.. practical and executable advices. Will encourage you to start simple with small steps towards recovery.
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Sue848
5.0 out of 5 stars “Playing” is a Winner!
Reviewed in Australia on June 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I wish I’d read this book ten years ago.....Charlie lifts the fog on what it takes to find real joy in your life - and the best part about it? It’s fun!!
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Nadine Gillar
5.0 out of 5 stars Un livre intelligent, de bons conseils à appliquer
Reviewed in France on September 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
Quoique rédigé entièrement en anglais (la version française n'est pas disponible pour l'instant), ce livre est très accessible pour quiconque a un niveau "moyen" (= scolaire) et son contenu est très enrichissant pour toutes celles et tous ceux qui souffrent de cette espèce d'hyper-activité ou hyper-connectivité moderne qui nous rend toutes et tous un peu maboules. Des conseils simples à appliquer et des exemples concrets pour bien comprendre, je recommande ce livre à... tout le monde !
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Fabian
5.0 out of 5 stars Confessions of a (Former) Highly Anxious Student
Reviewed in Germany on June 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
Are 5-Stars justified? For me, absolutely. But don't take my word for it. Read on and decide for yourself.

"All I wanted was to lock myself in a room and curl up in a ball." [Quote from this book]

Does this thought sometimes run through the back of your mind?
In my case it was. But luckily not anymore. Reading Play It Away was one of the reasones. Here is why:

"Do I feel guilty when I am not working?"
"Have I stopped playing with my friends?"
"Am I indoors all day long, depriving myself of fresh air and sunlight?"

If you answered "yes" to most of the above questions, you should follow the strategies and the simply step-by-step "Cure for Anxiety". You can read all about it in Charlie's lean book called...Play It Away.

Listen: At the beginning of 2014, I too answered "yes" to every single question, a total of nine questions in his book. From that moment it dawned upon to me: "I must be a highly anxious person." I didn't really know what "being anxious" means.
Anyway I bought his book (and a few other) to find out more about it.

But now everything changed when I pursued a new approach: Play! Sounds ridicolus? It is. In fact, ridiculously effective.

"Play" is not a "game", it's a state of being. And I learned states of being are the lenses how you see the world. Charlie shares his experience of struggle and how he pulled himself out of the anxiety swamp and turned is life upside down for the better. Sure that alone was very inspiring for me. But he doesn't just tell me his story. As we all have stories, dont we?

But he identfied from his own experience what the building blocks for his anxiety were and shows you strategies and practical exercises to avoid these and get rid of these. So he tells you exactly what to do to change your state of being from "Anxiety" to "Play" he calls it his "4-Week plan for health and happiness". Explaining all the different techniques is beyond the scope of a review, but all I can tell you that it works. At least for me. So it will maybe work for you too.

So to be honest, it's not just playing games. Sure, that's a big part of it, but he also challenges you to rethink how you want to live your life. He gives you so many practice examples for that.

Will the strategies in this little book work for you? I am sure it will. I mean if you're open-minded enough to give Charlie a chance to help you out. You can read this book in one evening. I did. It was easy-to-read. Then the very next day I started getting rid of my anxiety. Just took the
first step of his plan. It so simple you just won't believe it. In fact I am still wondering how it works. But all I can say so far is that it does.

Does that all sound strange to you? I'm sorry if it does. It's just my opinion and experience. Did this book alone pull me out of my crisis situation. No. But it certainly was the start to become aware of my situation, and to actually do something. To take action.

In other words, I think you deserve to be able to read this book. Proof it to yourself and see how easy it is to blow your anxiety out of your life for good. Yes, just play. Before you pay thousands for a therapy, I would recommend try this book first. It may be all you ever need. Look, if it's a good fit for you try it. If not don't. In the end it's only a choice. Anxiety or Play. Your choice. That's all there is to say.

I hope this review served you ;)

- Fabi
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