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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Assigned reading from my doctor. Chapter 3 is very eye opening when understanding depression. There are 10 “traps” one can fall in, and it explains each one and ways around it.
This has given me better language when understanding my depression and has helped me realize when I’m doing one of the 10 things listed and how to navigate (as best as I can) around them.
This has given me better language when understanding my depression and has helped me realize when I’m doing one of the 10 things listed and how to navigate (as best as I can) around them.
It has definetly some great "digging deeper" tools and critical thinking scenarios. It's a little hard to stay interested because it's so clinical and so factual and some terms used are a big outdated. I listened on audiobook and hes a little monotone. But overall wonderful book to apply to your life and strengthen your outlook on life.
I guess I need to accept self help books just don't work for me
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Soooo as someone who studied psychology, a bachelor's degree in college, and later a maser's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (which has little to do with mental therapy and more to do with altering the behaviors of individuals so that they are more productive in the workplace), I have frequently found myself in the role of part-time freelance pro bono therapist.
That is to say, I don't consider myself to be all that great at it, but I try!
Back when I was originally studying Information Technology, people frequently asked me to fix their computers for them. That isn't what I learned in class, really, but most home PC problems could be fixed with some Googling, reading comprehension, and patience. People are not the same.
I had heard Feeling Good was one of the best, original books on a relatively new field of psychotherapy called "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy". While most therapists use some form of talk therapy, CBT digs a little bit deeper and treats the brain like an input-output machine.
There is essentially a feedback loop going on in our brains. While we may believe our feelings drive our thoughts, it's a more of a two-way street. If someone performs poorly, and thinks "Wow, I am a failure.", they now start feeling like a failure, which surprise! Makes them perform worse, and wouldn't you know it, that doesn't help improve that person's general life outlook.
The key here is to break the cycle, to not let yourself or someone else say "I am a failure", but to critically argue with those thoughts. What really makes you think you're a failure? Aren't there other things in life you succeed at? Are you new to this task? Is the person who is saying you're a failure really a good respectable judge of character? Are you the only one saying it? Chances are... it's not a reasonable assessment to make.
Dr. Burns recommends recording any self-critical negative thoughts a person may have during the day and actively write a rebuttal. Keep doing this, and eventually that voice will realize their career in the quality-control department is over. Supposedly this strategy has shown to work with even the clinically depressed, where even drugs had not worked before.
Which leads me to the part of the book I didn't much care for. While the first half had lots of great advice and techniques to improve their moods and those of others, the second half spoke mostly of the pills one could take to combat depression.
I understand that this is a book that is often "prescribed" by psychiatrists to their patients to determine the best potential solutions to their depression. So sure, it's important to know the different types of drugs, how they work, potential side effects, costs, etc. if you're in that camp. But it was strange as one sitting on the sidelines to note how the tone switched from a fun, easy-going self-help guide to an informal medical textbook.
There were some interesting anecdotes in the last half, though. I enjoyed the story about one of Dr. Burns' patients who had such severe depression and anxiety that she needed to take medication to help get her to a more functional state, but refused to do so out of fear of side effects. The doctor assured her there were little to any side effects of a particular pill, but still she refused. Eventually he came up with a game plan where she would take the pill on some days, and a placebo on others, and she would write down any side effects she experienced during the day. She of course had no idea which was which, one pill was yellow and the other was red. During the course of the test, she determined one pill caused her to have a multitude of side effects, and she demanded to be taken off of it immediately. Whoops! Turns out they were both placebos.
The patient realized then how many physical problems her own mind was causing her, and let the doctor prescribe her an anti-depressant for realsies. After that she became much better in time, could better work with the doctor in CBT sessions, and eventually was cured of her depression. Crazy! Wait, no, I mean, Not Crazy!
So as a self-help and others-help book, the first half is great! 4 and a half stars! But unless you are genuinely suffering from depression and doing your "which pill should I take?" homework, or are a med student, you can leave the second half (two stars) alone.
That is to say, I don't consider myself to be all that great at it, but I try!
Back when I was originally studying Information Technology, people frequently asked me to fix their computers for them. That isn't what I learned in class, really, but most home PC problems could be fixed with some Googling, reading comprehension, and patience. People are not the same.
I had heard Feeling Good was one of the best, original books on a relatively new field of psychotherapy called "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy". While most therapists use some form of talk therapy, CBT digs a little bit deeper and treats the brain like an input-output machine.
There is essentially a feedback loop going on in our brains. While we may believe our feelings drive our thoughts, it's a more of a two-way street. If someone performs poorly, and thinks "Wow, I am a failure.", they now start feeling like a failure, which surprise! Makes them perform worse, and wouldn't you know it, that doesn't help improve that person's general life outlook.
The key here is to break the cycle, to not let yourself or someone else say "I am a failure", but to critically argue with those thoughts. What really makes you think you're a failure? Aren't there other things in life you succeed at? Are you new to this task? Is the person who is saying you're a failure really a good respectable judge of character? Are you the only one saying it? Chances are... it's not a reasonable assessment to make.
Dr. Burns recommends recording any self-critical negative thoughts a person may have during the day and actively write a rebuttal. Keep doing this, and eventually that voice will realize their career in the quality-control department is over. Supposedly this strategy has shown to work with even the clinically depressed, where even drugs had not worked before.
Which leads me to the part of the book I didn't much care for. While the first half had lots of great advice and techniques to improve their moods and those of others, the second half spoke mostly of the pills one could take to combat depression.
I understand that this is a book that is often "prescribed" by psychiatrists to their patients to determine the best potential solutions to their depression. So sure, it's important to know the different types of drugs, how they work, potential side effects, costs, etc. if you're in that camp. But it was strange as one sitting on the sidelines to note how the tone switched from a fun, easy-going self-help guide to an informal medical textbook.
There were some interesting anecdotes in the last half, though. I enjoyed the story about one of Dr. Burns' patients who had such severe depression and anxiety that she needed to take medication to help get her to a more functional state, but refused to do so out of fear of side effects. The doctor assured her there were little to any side effects of a particular pill, but still she refused. Eventually he came up with a game plan where she would take the pill on some days, and a placebo on others, and she would write down any side effects she experienced during the day. She of course had no idea which was which, one pill was yellow and the other was red. During the course of the test, she determined one pill caused her to have a multitude of side effects, and she demanded to be taken off of it immediately. Whoops! Turns out they were both placebos.
The patient realized then how many physical problems her own mind was causing her, and let the doctor prescribe her an anti-depressant for realsies. After that she became much better in time, could better work with the doctor in CBT sessions, and eventually was cured of her depression. Crazy! Wait, no, I mean, Not Crazy!
So as a self-help and others-help book, the first half is great! 4 and a half stars! But unless you are genuinely suffering from depression and doing your "which pill should I take?" homework, or are a med student, you can leave the second half (two stars) alone.
I was so skeptical about this book if anyone had ever tried to convince me it's useful I would have never believed him. But it works.
And it's not just that: it's useful for depressed people as well as for non-depressed people. It actually open your eyes on how people work, help you understand not just yourself but pretty much everybody.
The problems we have with feelings are the same for everyone, whatever is the different situation we're living.
So open-minding, so interesting, so enlightening, so enjoyable, but most of all, SO HELPFUL.
I've learned so many things I still cannot believe it.
And it's not just that: it's useful for depressed people as well as for non-depressed people. It actually open your eyes on how people work, help you understand not just yourself but pretty much everybody.
The problems we have with feelings are the same for everyone, whatever is the different situation we're living.
So open-minding, so interesting, so enlightening, so enjoyable, but most of all, SO HELPFUL.
I've learned so many things I still cannot believe it.