Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think

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After you’ve identified your moods, rate each one on a scale from 0% to 100% (don’t worry about nailing down an accurate percentage – just go with your gut). Over a million people have used Mind Over Mood to alleviate--and in many cases eliminate--the suffering caused by depression and other psychological problems. Drs. Greenberger and Padesky are brilliant therapists whose thoroughly updated second edition is informed by the latest research and therapeutic innovations. Science has demonstrated incontrovertibly that changing the way we think about emotional situations is among the most powerful ways to change emotions themselves. Everyone struggling with challenging moods or emotions should read this book."--David H. Barlow, PhD, ABPP, coauthor of 10 Steps to Mastering Stress

It) teaches you strategies, methods, and skills that have been shown to be helpful with mood problems such as depression, anxiety, anger, panic, jealousy, guilt, and shame.’ Alternative/Balanced Thoughts: In this step, you switch to the role of judge. Weigh the evidence from both sides, and try to reach a fair and unbiased “verdict.” In other words, come up with a new thought or thoughts that represent a more balanced and realistic perspective. For example, in the I’m always screwing up case, you might draw these conclusions. Let’s say your hot thought is I’m always screwing up, and let’s say you had that thought after making a fairly minor mistake. These statements would be considered “credible evidence”:Celebrate small improvements.If a thought record has worked, your moods will change in Step 7. However, there may not be a drastic change. You may go from, say, 100% to 70% on a mood – but that can be a big breakthrough. Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate emotions altogether; it’s to gain a balanced perspective in which your emotions are proportional to the reality of the situation. Be proud of whatever progress you make. There are 7 steps to completing the Mind Over Mood thought record. I’ll give you an overview, though this isn’t meant as a comprehensive guide. The workbook walks you through the process in more detail.

Repeated practice filling out Thought Records actually helps you learn to think more flexibly. After completing 20 – 40 thought records, many people report that they automatically begin to think alternative or balanced thoughts in distressing situations without writing out a Thought Record. When you reach this point, you will experience fewer and fewer situations as truly distressing, and you can spend your energy on solving what problems remain and on enjoying yourself in more situations.” Who would enjoy this book?

Revised and expanded to reflect significant scientific developments of the past 20 years, the second edition contains numerous new features: expanded content on anxiety; chapters on setting personal goals and maintaining progress; happiness rating scales; gratitude journals; innovative exercises focused on mindfulness, acceptance, and forgiveness; 25 new worksheets; and much more. Winner (Second Place)— American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Consumer Health Category Discover simple yet powerful steps you can take to overcome emotional distress—and feel happier, calmer, and more confident. As someone who has done cognitive-behavioural therapy with a therapist before, I can attest that this workbook pretty much is the therapy. It’s a fantastic book full of digestible information, concrete examples, real life stories to see the therapy in action, and techniques that are broken down into small steps. This is definitely a workbook, in that you can’t just read the book and expect to feel better; you have to do the thought records and other activities. Rate Moods Now: Rate your moods from Step 2 again, as well as any new moods. If there hasn’t been a change for the better, review each step of your thought record and see if there are any places you could be more accurate, specific, or thorough. Tips for Success

Evidence that Does Not Support the Hot Thought: Now take off your defense lawyer hat and put on your prosecutor hat. It’s time for some cross-examination. Your hot thought likely has some holes in its story, and your job now is to find them. This step tends to be harder. Your evidence against I’m always screwing up might look something like this: One exercise involves writing out new behaviours linked to the individual’s new core belief based on what the book has taught them so far. For the indifferent user this could seem quite the task, if not a waste of time, but there are gains to be had with some persistence and patience. At best, this book is an engaging journey in reflection and active problem-solving leading to a better health outcome. At worst, it is a mere distraction. Realistically, it probably lies somewhere in between, but in any case it is likely to be a constructive use of time for the depressed or anxious patient — time that may otherwise have been spent in rumination.

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Dr. Dennis Greenberger is a clinical psychologist and founder and director of the Anxiety and Depression Center in Newport Beach, California. Firstly, if you’re looking into this book because of your battle with depression, anxiety, or something else distressing, I’m sorry. This may not be helpful to hear but in case it is, you’re not alone. The people my mistake impacted may have been a little upset, but there is no evidence they think I’m incompetent.