The Anxiety and Depression Workbook: Simple, Effective CBT Techniques to Manage Moods and Feel Better Now by Michael A. Tompkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“The skills in this workbook will increase the flexibility of your emotional system and, in the
process, build your tolerance to emotions such as anxiety and depression. Learning that you can tolerate your anxious or depressed feelings is how you recover from the uncomfortable feelings that are limiting your life.”
This is a fantastic and practical book if you suffer from anxiety or depression. The book is full of specific techniques you can use to move through different ways in which you’re emotionally inflexible as the authors frame it.
Once you get clear on your values and set goals, the book is divided into different sections to help you build flexible attention, thinking, action, and tolerance. There’s also a section on gratitude and self-compassion.
“Ultimately, your recovery depends on having both meaningful goals that are in the service of your values, as well as a clear plan to achieve those goals. A goal is not the same as a plan. The goal is the destination you hope to reach; the plan is the set of distinct steps you’ll take to reach the goal. Most important, your recovery depends on your willingness to change your behaviors or actions— and connecting your actions to your values will help you do this.”
As the authors introduce each technique, they give examples of different characters who each have different anxiety/depression-related problems and they show how the character uses that technique so you can see it in action and then they have an empty form for you to fill with your own data. This makes it really easy to understand the technique and see it applied.
“Deep and lasting change—the kind of change that transforms your life—begins by building your tolerance to your intense anxious and depressed feelings”
I really liked this book and will be using several of these techniques throughout my life.
with gratitude to netgalley and New Harbinger for an advanced copy in return for an honest review
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