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A review by raulmazilu
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
5.0
I really liked it because it:
- draws heavily on stoic philosophy,
- explains what's wrong with the 'cult of optimism' (e.g., books from motivational speakers with no scientific support), and
- argues in favour of embracing failure not just as a stepping stone towards success, but merely to rid oneself of the stressful struggle towards perfectionism.
Some action points:
1. when stressed out, take a 'Stoic pause': remember that the source of your distress is your judgment about the heavy traffic or the infuriating comment someone made, not the situation itself
2. practice vipassana meditation
3. remind yourself of Albert Ellis' distinction between a very bad outcome and an absolutely terrible one. Most likely, what causes your anxiety now is bad, but it's finitely bad, not a world-ending disaster
4. accept that life is innately uncertain, so live in harmony with this uncertainty. You can no more succeed in achieving perfect security and control than a wave could succeed in leaving the ocean.
- draws heavily on stoic philosophy,
- explains what's wrong with the 'cult of optimism' (e.g., books from motivational speakers with no scientific support), and
- argues in favour of embracing failure not just as a stepping stone towards success, but merely to rid oneself of the stressful struggle towards perfectionism.
Some action points:
1. when stressed out, take a 'Stoic pause': remember that the source of your distress is your judgment about the heavy traffic or the infuriating comment someone made, not the situation itself
2. practice vipassana meditation
3. remind yourself of Albert Ellis' distinction between a very bad outcome and an absolutely terrible one. Most likely, what causes your anxiety now is bad, but it's finitely bad, not a world-ending disaster
4. accept that life is innately uncertain, so live in harmony with this uncertainty. You can no more succeed in achieving perfect security and control than a wave could succeed in leaving the ocean.