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abilight 's review for:
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
by David D. Burns
Took me almost half a year to finish this - not because it was too slow or difficult, but because it’s a book that truly requires a lot of active reflection. This book explains in detail the theory and practical strategies for CBT for daily living, from the background of a psychiatrist.
In my opinion, everyone and anyone could benefit from understanding the principles of CBT. Every human on this planet has unfairly talked down to themselves, experienced a pattern of distorted thinking, procrastinated on something they shouldn’t have, had a bad day they blew out of proportion, etc. I wasn’t particularly looking for strategies for myself when I picked up this book, but I actually find myself using its ideas on a regular basis. Even though my life right now isn’t too stressful or anything, I still can benefit from dismantling illogical thoughts. And my days are a little smoother for it.
It’s not a particularly flashy or fancy book (plus it’s hella long), but it’s one that’s grounded in solid practical strategies for reshaping your automatic negative thoughts. Unlike its sexier self-help counterparts, it’s very practical and simple. However, it’s not a book that you can just read through in one gulp - you need to actually think about times where you’ve made certain mistakes, and illogical patterns of thinking. If you don’t take the time to reflect and be honest with yourself, you’ll gain nothing from CBT and dismiss is it as common sense.
To me, it’s like reading a book on how to ride a bicycle versus actually trying out a bicycle.
You need to take the time to match the theory with action. Or it just won’t help.
At the end, the author goes through more of the medicine around mood stabilization and some (fairly outdated) data on pharmaceuticals. You can skip that stuff if you’re not interested, and focus on the bulk of the book which is the practical components of improving daily mood.
All in all, would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for some self-improvement! Doesn’t matter who - we all could benefit.
In my opinion, everyone and anyone could benefit from understanding the principles of CBT. Every human on this planet has unfairly talked down to themselves, experienced a pattern of distorted thinking, procrastinated on something they shouldn’t have, had a bad day they blew out of proportion, etc. I wasn’t particularly looking for strategies for myself when I picked up this book, but I actually find myself using its ideas on a regular basis. Even though my life right now isn’t too stressful or anything, I still can benefit from dismantling illogical thoughts. And my days are a little smoother for it.
It’s not a particularly flashy or fancy book (plus it’s hella long), but it’s one that’s grounded in solid practical strategies for reshaping your automatic negative thoughts. Unlike its sexier self-help counterparts, it’s very practical and simple. However, it’s not a book that you can just read through in one gulp - you need to actually think about times where you’ve made certain mistakes, and illogical patterns of thinking. If you don’t take the time to reflect and be honest with yourself, you’ll gain nothing from CBT and dismiss is it as common sense.
To me, it’s like reading a book on how to ride a bicycle versus actually trying out a bicycle.
You need to take the time to match the theory with action. Or it just won’t help.
At the end, the author goes through more of the medicine around mood stabilization and some (fairly outdated) data on pharmaceuticals. You can skip that stuff if you’re not interested, and focus on the bulk of the book which is the practical components of improving daily mood.
All in all, would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for some self-improvement! Doesn’t matter who - we all could benefit.