You're listening to episode 78 of the Baggage Reclaim sessions.

I'm your host Natalie Lou, author of Baggage Reclaim.com,

where I help people to offload the shady relationships and emotional baggage

that block healthy self-esteem and loving relationships.

This week I talk about why we don't seem to recognize that we're maxed out with stress.

Plus, I help a listener to figure out her fuzzy boundaries

so that she can make a big decision.

On March 2nd, it was World Book Day for the UK and Ireland. Or for anyone who has a child like me and has to put together a costume so that they can basically go in as their favorite character.

It's, oh my gosh, throw together a costume, pronto, you know,

got to make sure they're looking good time.

My eldest went as a rag doll from one of the Ena Blayton books and actually despite the fact that it was a little last minute

She won best costume in her class and my youngest went as Hermione Granger and you know from the Harry Potter books and

she has pretty much lived in that cloak ever since including sleeping in it and

going to visit my father and hospital in it and looking like almost like a

ninja actually was quite funny.

I went into their school and I read a couple of my favorite books, one from my childhood and one that I have come to know since I've been a parent,

and I'll include that actually in the show notes. And all of this got me thinking about why books can be such an

important part of our emotional journey. About six or so weeks ago, before this

episode, I asked listeners and subscribers to my weekly newsletter as well as some of my followers on

Instagram about what their favorite books from childhood were and also what have they loved in adulthood like what are their favorite

fiction and non-fiction reads and I was overwhelmed by not just the number of

responses I got but actually what people shared with me about why books, certain books was so important,

...