Beauty for the Soul: This Month’s Read - Open When… by Dr. Julie Smith

Open When… by Dr. Julie Smith — A Guide for the Moments You Need It Most

As your hairstylist, I see how life shows up in your hair. Stress, sleepless nights, joy, heartbreak, it all weaves its way into the strands I touch every day. Clients often share their highs and lows with me, and one thing I’ve learned is that we all need tools for the days that feel heavy and the life 'themes' that show up for us all in some way.

That’s why I love Open When… by Dr. Julie Smith. It’s designed to be a kind of “emotional first aid kit”  a book you don’t have to read cover to cover. Instead, you can open it to the chapter you need in the moment, depending on which 'theme' you are faced with.

Why This Book Resonated With Me

Its different to alot of the heavy personal growth books I read, this is simple, accessible, relatable and practical. It feels like sitting down with a compassionate friend who also happens to be a clinical psychologist.

Each chapter offers bite sized wisdom, exercises, and reflections you can actually use in everyday life. It’s the kind of book I want nearby, like a trusted toolkit for life’s emotional ups and downs. I keep It on a self near by bed but I often notice ive carried it with me for many days on harder weeks or when im processing certain life challenges.

Key Takeaways

  • Practical Tools, Not Just Theory: Julie Smith gives you techniques you can try straight away from grounding yourself during panic to reframing unhelpful thoughts.

  • Open When Format: You don’t have to start at the beginning. It’s written so you can flip to the chapter that meets your mood or life 'theme' whatever you need.

  • Emotional Self-Sufficiency: The book reminds us that while support is important, we can also build resilience and learn to soothe ourselves. Im a big fan of this as you know, ive been practicing CBT for years and have my own theories around this concept.

  • Everyday Relevance: Topics like motivation, self-doubt, anxiety, and grief are covered in a way that feels down-to-earth and relatable. I also love how she creates her You tube videos, so down to earth engaging, short enough but packed with juice.

Why I Recommend It

Where Gabor Maté’s work goes deep into systemic trauma and culture, Julie Smith’s approach is gentle, clear, and practical. It’s the perfect book to have on your shelf for those everyday struggles  when you need quick comfort, perspective, or a reminder that you’re not alone. These are themes that all of us will encounter and perhaps not speak about due to shame or whatever, this removes all of that and gives you clarity. Shes big on making her skillset accessable and admits it might be difficult for the general public to have a therapist and so she makes her content based on reaching everyone who may benefit. Great effort Julie.

I think of it as a self-care ritual in book form. Just like applying a nourishing treatment to your hair, Open When… is like applying nourishment to your heart and mind.

Closing Thought

We can’t always stop life from being stressful, but we can create rituals and tools that support us through it. Books like this are reminders that self-care is more than skin deep or strand deep.

If you’re looking for something you can dip in and out of, I highly recommend keeping Open When… close by. 

It’s about creating the inner strength to weather life’s storms with grace.


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