Search Results for: Mindfulness for Health

In summer of 2013, family and friends watched helplessly as author Sarah E. Ball spiraled into the darkest season of her life. A passionate woman of God, wife, mom of five, and popular blogger, Sarah nevertheless found herself abruptly taken captive by a severe anxiety and panic disorder. She began sharing the intimate details of her breakdown and recovery with her readers, creating an online series Fearless in 21 Days as a 21-day guide to overcoming anxiety.

Much to Sarah’s surprise, her blog reached #2 on Google search for deliverance from anxiety, and she soon found herself sharing her keys to fearlessness on several national television programs, including two 1-hour interviews on Insight with Paul Arthur, two appearances on Lifeline with Dick & Joan, on several episodes of the Miracle Channel show Devoted, and even an invitation to 100 Huntley Street for 2017. Her blog series won First Place in the 2016 Word Alive Press Women’s Journey of Faith Contest.

In FEARLESS IN 21 DAYS, Sarah takes the readers through 21 revelations that focus on healing the whole self-body, mind, and soul-and bridging the gap between effective mental health therapies and Scripture. This book first offers practical tips that can dramatically reduce the immediate symptoms of anxiety and then dives deeper into spiritual and mental truths to create a hope-filled guide to freedom from anxiety so that readers may boldly and bravely fulfill their purpose in Christ-fearlessly.

‘A sledgehammer of a book putting to bed all the cynicism and misinformation around a condition that affects so many hidden, brilliant people’ Professor Tanya Byron

‘Laugh out loud funny and deeply validating – every person who thinks ADHD isn’t real should read this book’ Leanne Maskell, author of ADHD: An A to Z

Nobody should spend their life feeling defective. Everyone deserves to have a user manual to their brain – welcome to yours.

Once associated more with hyper boys than adults, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is now recognised as a condition in need of a rebrand which affects people of all genders and ages in a multitude of ways.

In this enlightening and definitive layman’s guide, Kat Brown cheerfully smashes the stereotypes with scientific evidence, historical context, and practical support for ADHD minds across areas that can cause problems, from finances and work to self-medicating, relationships, hormones and self-esteem.

Based on Kat’s personal experience and extensive interviews with ADHDers and world-leading clinical experts, It’s Not A Bloody Trend is for anyone wondering if what’s always been ‘wrong’ with them might just be undiagnosed ADHD.

Bestselling author, and ‘mother of mindfulness’, Ellen J. Langer makes her long-awaited return sharing her groundbreaking research in The Mindful Body.

Have you ever wondered if you could improve your health by harnessing the power of your mind?

When it comes to our health, too many of us feel trapped by a medical diagnosis, believing that it can only mean a static or worsening condition. Whether it is stiff knees, frayed nerves or failing eyesight, your mind can lead you to believe things will only get worse. But with practical steps and scientific research you can take control of your mindset, by using your thoughts and perspective to help improve your wellbeing.

In The Mindful Body, award-winning social psychologist Ellen J. Langer draws on her lifetime of expertise and trailblazing research by revealing the capacity that mindfulness has to transform our lives. Opening the door to her pioneering Harvard lab, Langer uncovers the secret of how the mind and the body are in fact a single system, and if we embrace the idea of mind-body unity, new possibilities for controlling our health become available to us.

Featuring autobiographical anecdotes, iconoclastic philosophy and cutting-edge research, The Mindful Body will help you navigate a path to improved health and wellbeing and in turn boost your cognitive capabilities so that you can take back control of your body for a brighter future.

Cynicism is making us sick; Stanford psychologist Dr Jamil Zaki has the cure – a ‘ray of light for dark days’ (Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

For thousands of years, people have argued about whether humanity is selfish or generous, cruel or kind. But recently, our answers have changed. In 1972, half of Americans agreed that most people can be trusted; by 2018, that figure had fallen to 30%. Different generations, genders, religions and political parties can’t seem to agree on anything, except that they all think human virtue is evaporating.

Cynicism is a perfectly understandable response to a world full of injustice and inequality. But in many cases, cynicism is misplaced. Dozens of studies find that people fail to realise how kind, generous and open-minded others really are. And cynical thinking worsens social problems, because our beliefs don’t just interpret the world; they change it. When we expect people to be awful, we coax awfulness out of them. Cynicism is a disease, with a history, symptoms and a cure. Through science and storytelling, Jamil Zaki imparts the secret for beating back cynicism: hopeful scepticism. This approach doesn’t mean putting our faith in every politician or influencer. It means thinking critically about people and our problems, while simultaneously acknowledging and encouraging our strengths. Far from being naïve, hopeful scepticism is a more precise way of understanding others, and paying closer attention re-balances how you think about human nature. As more of us do this, we can take steps towards building the world we truly want.

The scientifically proven method to overcome obstacles and make choices that lead us closer to our goals

WITH A FOREWORD BY MARTINA NAVRATILOVA

When we choose to go to the gym at 6 a.m., keep running that marathon or stay up late to study, we are making conscious, value-based decisions that help us fulfil our goals. But even though we know that daily good choices add up to healthy habits and strong results, these days it’s just too easy to surrender to negative thoughts and old habits. How can we not?

Enter Functional Imagery Training (FIT). Grounded in science, FIT helps us lengthen our Choice Point: that moment when we say to ourselves, ‘Am I going to make the healthy decision, or am I going to choose to take an action that I know will undermine my success?’ Merging mindfulness, motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy into a user-friendly model, The Choice Point grants us control of the decisions that define us.

Most teenagers worry about their body and appearance at some point, and some may try to alter their eating in order to change their weight or shape.

If you are spending a lot of time worrying about how you look or what you are eating, it can become overwhelming and have a big impact on your life. The aim of this book is to help you to understand a bit more about these worries, what you can do about them and, most importantly, how you can develop a healthy relationship with your body and with food.

If these worries take hold, there is a risk of developing an eating disorder or becoming depressed. Eating disorders can have a huge and negative impact on your physical health, your emotional wellbeing, your relationships and social life. They can take control of your mind and body, which makes it difficult to feel motivated to recover, and it can be a long and difficult journey to get back on track, so it’s better to tackle these worries early on.

Written by clinicians with many years of experience working in specialist eating disorder services for children and adolescents, this book follows an approach called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which is a really useful way of helping us to make sense of our experiences and overcome the difficulties that we face. CBT is an evidence-based approach, which means that lots of research has been done to evaluate it and show that it can be helpful.

The book includes help and support on:
· Adolescent development, how we make sense of our experiences, healthy eating and how to look after yourself during the teenage years.
· How you can stop body image and eating difficulties taking hold including ideas for feeling good about yourself, dealing with stress and managing social media. There is a chapter which focuses on issues for boys/young men.
· How to get help from family, friends or professionals if you are struggling. There is also a chapter for parents/carers and families with suggestions on how they can help.

Overcoming for Teenagers is a series to support young people through common mental health issues during adolescence, using scientific techniques that have been proven to work.

Series editors: Associate Professor Polly Waite and Emeritus Professor Peter Cooper

BREADMAKING + MEDITATION = BREADITATION. Feel your tension drain away as you mix, knead, prove and bake these specially selected, straightforward recipes for breads, from ciabatta to bagels and sourdough.

‘Though at its heart a book of reliable bread recipes you can utterly trust . . . the relaxed baking techniques in Breaditation can help unravel the stress and trauma in our life’ Dan Lepard

‘The only breadmaking book you’ll ever knead for your mental wellbeing’ Professor David Veale, The Maudsley Hospital

In Breaditation, professional baker Manuel Monade shows, with the help of psychotherapist Caroline Harrison, how the four stages of bread making – kneading, proving, shaping and baking – can help you to de-stress. Bread making, because it involves all our senses – sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing – can help us to focus on and feels safe in the present,which helps to combat anxiety, elevate our mood, improve our self-esteem and, through a mindful focus on the present, de-stress. Even if you feel simply angry or upset, bread making can help.

Breaditation includes more than twenty straightforward recipes, from ciabatta and pitta to brioche, crackers and sourdough. There is nothing too technically demanding, so that there is an immediate sense of achievement and pleasure in the bread you have made.

Discover the natural strength of the female body, awaken your inner power and enjoy a happy, healthy, confident pre and postnatal experience with this inspiring, stereotype-shattering book.

In The StrongLikeMum Method, pre and postnatal fitness expert and mum of four Shakira Akabusi accompanies you on your pregnancy journey and throughout the first year of motherhood to help you tap into the full power of your body and mind with accessible exercise and wellness advice.

The benefits of leading an active lifestyle are so much greater than the aesthetic goals we’re bombarded with almost everywhere we turn. This book will unlock secrets that have been hidden in history and show how the female body has adapted and changed to become the powerful force it is today. As well as easy-to-follow exercises, Shakira’s empowering StrongLikeMum Method provides advice on nutrition, the power of sleep, language and ways to adopt a positive mindset.

Whether you are a first-time mum or a mother to two or more and whether you are hoping to enjoy an active pregnancy or wish to recover effectively postpartum, this book has been written to give you a full understanding of what your body and mind are capable of during and after pregnancy. It will give you the tools to understand your own body and instill the confidence to sustain a fit, healthy and happy lifestyle inside and out.

Sometimes, it can feel like life holds endless setbacks and challenges; like reality is continually slapping you in the face and causing pain that you aren’t equipped to handle. This ‘reality slap’ can take many forms, from the death of a loved one to the loss of a job, from loneliness to rejection. And whatever form it takes, it hurts! With constructive methods based on real world research, this guide gives you the tools to rebuild your life and thrive after serious setbacks.

Ten years after the success of its first edition, this fully updated and rewritten edition of The Reality Slap contains a new wealth of advanced expertise on coping effectively when life hurts. Dr Russ Harris shows you how to apply the scientifically proven methods of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in your daily life and reconnect with yourself and others.

Written in a kind, supportive voice with lots of examples and exercises, this timely self-help book contains mindfulness wisdom, hands-on advice and case studies. Every aspect of the book is designed to be accessible and simple to implement so that you can comprehensively tackle emotions arising from setbacks.

If you are facing difficulty and don’t know where to turn, The Reality Slap is the essential guide to finding happiness and fulfilment. Learn how to heal from your pain and come out stronger than before with this powerful book that might just change your life.

How do we survive when it feels like our world has ended?

This interactive book is for anyone that has experienced trauma and feels the after-effects of fear, panic, worry, anxiety, anger or depression.

You will join a group of other survivors who have lived through extraordinary times and situations, including a doctor who saw many patients die in a pandemic, a firefighter who feels ashamed about developing anxiety after a major tragedy, a nurse who lost a sibling in a school shooting, and others affected by a global health crisis and trauma in differing ways.

This self-help manual is based on the techniques of Superhero Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and will teach you the skills of acceptance, mindfulness, self-compassion, sense of purpose and commitment to action, as well as helping you to develop your own survivor story.

This is the first book of its kind to help us deal with the realities and mental health impact of a world emerging from the unprecedented effects of COVID-19, as well as other natural disasters and violence.

‘Equal parts practical, funny and illuminating – belongs on the required reading list for life’ – Sarah Knight, internationally bestselling author of Get Your Sh!t Together

Accessible and inspirational, The Unbreakable Student is the self-care guide that every university student needs.

So, you’re starting university – you’ve learnt what to pack, where to socialise, how to cook (sort of)… but what about how to look after your mental health?

University is a whirlwind of exciting, fresh experiences. But it can also be overwhelming. You’re in a strange new environment and faced with the pressure to make friends, complete difficult assignments, stay healthy, manage your finances and so much more, all while being away from your loved ones. In this time of massive change, looking after your mental wellbeing is more important than ever.

Nic Hooper has witnessed the student mental health crisis unfolding every day on campus and is determined to help. A psychologist with fifteen years’ experience teaching and mentoring young adults, The Unbreakable Student is his guide to navigating your university years and staying sane using six simple rules:
· Using exercise to stay healthy in body and mind
· Learning to positively challenge yourself
· Connecting with your peers
· Mindfully embracing the moment
· Managing self-critical thoughts and vulnerability
· Giving to others and taking positive action

‘If you’ve ever wondered why we keep secrets and what motivates us to spill them, look no further’ Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again

An eye-opening look at why we keep the secrets we keep, how to better understand and cope with them, and when (and how) we should bring them to light.

Think of a secret that you’re keeping from others. It shouldn’t take long. Psychologist Michael Slepian finds that, on average, we are keeping as many as thirteen secrets at any given time. His research, involving more than 50,000 participants from around the world, shows that we most frequently keep secrets about lies we’ve told, ambitions, addictions, mental health challenges, hidden relationships and financial struggles.

Our secrets can weigh heavily upon us. Yet the burden of secrecy rarely stems from the work it takes to keep a secret hidden. Rather, the weight of our secrets comes from carrying them alone. Whether we are motivated to protect our reputation, a relationship, a loved one’s feelings, or some personal or professional goal, one thing is clear: holding back some part of our inner world is often lonely and isolating. But it doesn’t have to be.

Filled with fresh insight into one of the most universal – yet least understood – aspects of human behaviour, The Secret Life of Secrets sheds fascinating new light on questions like: At what age do children develop the cognitive capacity for secrecy? Do all secrets come with the same mental load? How can we reconcile our secrets with our human desires to relate, connect and be known? When should we confess and to whom? And can keeping certain types of secrets actually enhance our well-being?

Drawing on over a decade of original research, this book reveals the surprising ways in which secrets pervade our lives, and offers science-based strategies that make them easier to live with. The result is a rare window into the inner workings of our minds, our relationships and our sense of who we are.

Learn how to control your perceptions and emotions, minimise dysfunctional thinking and achieve greater success in life.

We’re all dealt certain ‘cards’ in life, the daily challenges we need to overcome in order to thrive. Tackling the problems and challenges of everyday life begins with our thinking. Our thoughts and behaviours can propel us forward or sabotage our goals and relationships. This practical, eye-opening book draws on the philosophy of the ancient Stoics and the ground-breaking therapy of Dr Albert Ellis to help you achieve your goals.

Is That Your Card? will help you change your mindset for the better, putting you in position to propel yourself to greater success. You will learn simple techniques to right the ship when harmful, negative thoughts take over because it is our beliefs that decide how we look at a situation.

The act of thinking will never be the same as you become more aware of your emotions, gain more confidence and self-esteem, improve your relationships and look at anxiety and anger in a completely different way.

Just remember: don’t believe everything you think.

‘A guide to help us back on the path to good mental health and wellbeing’ – Dr Sian Williams, counselling psychologist and BBC broadcaster


Praise for Persuasion
‘This book is spot-on and should be a must-read’ – Daily Telegraph
‘A rare “self-help” book – marvellously readable and fun. Hugely to be recommended’ – Jilly Cooper

Praise for Mind Power
‘The best of the current self-help books’ – The Guardian

Anger is one of the most difficult emotions for human beings to cope with. If our anger is unmanaged, we can end up behaving in destructive ways towards both ourselves and other people, and can face relationship difficulties and negative health consequences.

Far from ‘letting ourselves off the hook’, recent research has shown that by developing compassion towards ourselves and others and compassionately understanding our anger and the factors that fuel it, we can connect with the courage and skills needed to change our behaviour. This fascinating and practical self-help guide will give you a number of powerful techniques for tackling your anger head on and taking control of it, rather than letting it control you.

USING THIS WORKBOOK, READERS WILL LEARN ABOUT:
– The factors that trigger and fuel our anger, how it works and how to change the anger response
– Specific skills to manage anger and improve relationships

Filled with interactive exercises and practical skills, The Anger Workbook will guide you in your journey to transform your anger into inner strength.

THE COMPASSIONATE MIND APPROACH
The self-help books in this series are based on compassion focused therapy (CFT, developed by series editor Paul Gilbert). This brings together an understanding of how our mind can cause us difficulties but also provides us with a powerful solution in the shape of mindfulness and compassion. It teaches ways to stimulate the part of the brain connected with kindness, warmth, compassion and safeness, and to calm the part that makes us feel, anxious, angry, sad or depressed.

There is nothing wrong with being shy – it is a natural emotion that everyone can experience. But if shyness is negatively impacting your life, The Shyness Workbook can help you grow your confidence.

Shyness has evolved as an emotion over thousands of years and can be helpful in some circumstances. However, it can become a problem when it interferes with life goals, develops into social anxiety disorder or leads to ‘learned pessimism’, mild depression and even ‘learned helplessness’. In this way, shyness and shame often hold us back from realising our potential and from engaging with others wholeheartedly.

This practical self-help workbook sets out the background to shyness – its evolutionary functions and why it becomes chronic in some people – and teaches skills and exercises to help you overcome problematic shyness.

Using this workbook, readers will learn how to:
· Cope with shy feelings and debunk anxious thoughts
· Develop self-compassion
· Practise new, confident behaviours

Full of fresh insights and exercises, The Shyness Workbook will support your journey into developing social self-confidence.

THE COMPASSIONATE MIND APPROACH
The self-help books in this series are based on the Compassionate Mind Approach (developed by series editor Paul Gilbert). This brings together an understanding of how our mind can cause us difficulties but also provides us with a powerful solution in the shape of mindfulness and compassion. It teaches ways to stimulate the part of the brain connected with kindness, warmth, compassion and safeness, and to calm the part that makes us feel anxious, angry, sad or depressed.

‘If you care about the length and quality of your life but can’t stomach yet another diet or workout routine, this book is for you’ – Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author

‘Finally, a lifestyle book that transcends diet and exercise for solutions for living longer’ – Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author

A smart, research-driven case for why optimism, kindness and strong social networks will help us live to 100.

What to do to live long? From fountain-searching Ponce de Leon to pill-popping Silicon Valley techies humanity has been trying to pinpoint the answer for centuries, often fixating on all the wrong things: miracle diets, miracle foods, miracle supplements. We skip gluten and invest in exercise gadgets. We swallow vitamins. We obsess about BMI. While healthy nutrition and physical activity are indeed important for health, there are things we all too often sacrifice in favour of fad diets that have an outsize impact on our centenarian potential. Friendships. Purpose in life. Empathy. Kindness. Science shows that these ‘soft’ health drivers are often more powerful than diet and exercise.

Consider the numbers: studies show that building a strong support network of family and friends lowers mortality risk by about 45 per cent. Exercise, on the other hand, can lower that risk by 23 to 33 per cent. Eating six servings of fruit and veg per day can cut the danger of dying early by 26 per cent, while following the Mediterranean diet by 21 per cent. For volunteering, it’s 22 to 44 per cent. Many more examples like this led Marta Zaraska to her ultimate conclusion: you should be contemplating your purpose in life, not the best fitness tracker to buy.

Humans are social animals. Over the course of our evolution we’ve developed intertwined systems that regulate our social lives on one hand and our physiology on the other, contributing to our centenarian potential. The amygdala and the insula in the brain, the social hormones oxytocin and serotonin, the vagus nerve, the HPA stress axis – these all link our bodies and our minds, contributing to our centenarian potential. We feel safe when we are surrounded by friendly others. The nervous system, the gastrointestinal system, the immune system all function properly when the tribe is there for us and when we are there for the tribe. We flourish as part of a group.

Marta Zaraska based Growing Young on hundreds of research papers and on interviews with dozens of leading scientists from fields as diverse as molecular biochemistry, cyber psychology, marketing and zoology. The book’s research took her to rather unexpected places, too: catching wild mice in the woods of England, sipping super-smoothies at a longevity bootcamp in Portugal and arranging flowers with octogenarians in Japan.

In the end, all the studies, the interviews and the travels brought her to a simple conclusion: self-improvement, commitment to growing as a person, can also help us grow younger. To Michael Pollan’s famous statement on health: ‘Eat food, not too much, mostly plants,’ she now adds: ‘Be social, care for others, enjoy life.’

‘This is a book that should be on every meditator’s bookshelf’ – Dr Jim Lockard

An accessible, insightful, user-friendly guide to meditation, perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy sustained and meaningful meditation practice

Meditation is an ancient practice that has brought peace and clarity to people from every time, culture and place. Its benefits – a sense of calm, greater knowledge of self, better health – are as appealing to the modern world as they were to the ancient. In this beginner’s guide to meditation, author Patrick Harbula provides readers with everything they need to know in order to experience deep meditation.

Readers will learn:
– The history of meditation, both Eastern and Western
– The benefits of meditation for the mind, body, and spirit
– Different forms of meditation practice
– Supportive practices to enhance the benefits of meditation in daily living.
– Simple ways to begin meditation immediately, and more . . .

In addition, readers will also find simple techniques to deepen the meditation path for more experienced meditators. Meditation demystifies the often times intimidating world of meditation, providing the perfect starting point for anyone looking to cultivate a sense of peace in their life.

A love that lasts is all about choosing to stay connected.

Struggling with your relationship is normal. Many of us lash out at our partner, we blame them when things go wrong, and we fear rejection, criticism and failure. So how do you get back the kindness and connection that once made you both so close?

In The Lasting Connection, clinical psychologist and couples therapist Michaela Thomas explains her Pause-Purpose-Play method for strengthening the connection between couples through brain science, mindfulness, compassion, values and playfulness.

Learn how:
– To build a stronger foundation for your relationship
– To soothe yourself to make everyday interactions smoother
– Past experiences may be influencing your current situation
– To be more compassionate with yourself and your partner
– To deepen your connection with the one you love

Are you ready to start on the first chapter of your new story together?

This book will get you thinking about thinking.

We understand more about the brain than ever before and we also have more tools than ever before to help us think. This book will show you how your brain works, how your mind works, why we all make certain mistakes in thinking and why that’s not always a bad thing.

In order to understand how people behave, you need to understand how people think. And if you want to understand how people think, you need to have a basic understanding of cognitive psychology, cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience. This book explains cognition and the links between the brain, the mind and behaviour in a clear and straightforward way.

Through interesting case studies and research examples, Minda shows how the brain is involved in mental activity, how memory works, how language affects thought, how good (and bad) decisions are made, and why we make predictable errors in our thinking. With practical applications for everyday life, this a book that helps us become better thinkers, better learners and better problem-solvers. In the current era of big data, algorithms and AI, Minda argues that knowing about how humans think-how you think-is more important than ever before.

Being a teenager has never been easy, but the digital age has brought with it unique challenges for young people and the adults in their lives. Nurturing Young Minds: Mental Wellbeing in the Digital Age collects expert advice on how to tackle the terrors of the twenty-first century and is a companion to Growing Happy, Healthy Young Minds.

A comprehensive and easily accessible guide for parents, teachers, counsellors and health care professionals, this book contains important advice about managing online behaviour, computer game addiction and cyberbullying, as well as essential information on learning disorders, social skills and emotional health.

This volume includes up-to-date information on:
Understanding Teen Sleep and Drowsy Kids
Emotions and Relationships Shape the Brain of Children
Understanding the Teenage Brain
Healthy Habits for a Digital Life
Online Time Management
Problematic Internet Use and How to Manage It
Computer Game Addiction and Mental Wellbeing
Sexting: Realities and Risks
Cyberbullying, Cyber-harassment and Revenge Porn
The ‘Gamblification’ of Computer Games
Violent Video Games and Violent Behaviour
Talking to Young People about Online Porn and Sexual Images
Advice for Parents: Be a Mentor, Not a Friend
E-mental Health Programs and Interventions
Could it be Asperger’s?
Dyslexia and Learning Difficulties
Friendship and Social Skills
The Commercialisation of Childhood
Sexualisation: Why Should we be Concerned?
Porn as a Public Health Crisis
How Boys are Travelling and What They Most Need
Understanding and Managing Anger and Aggression
Understanding Boys’ Health Needs

The world is getting harder for young people, and for the people who care about them: parents, teachers, school counsellors and concerned relatives. Generation Next is an organisation that gathers experts in several fields to provide information for professionals – now that expertise is gathered in this volume for everyone else. Each chapter contains easily accessible information, along with more detail and resources for those who wish to find out more.

In this comprehensive volume there will be the latest information on many topics, including:
Helping young people get help for mental health problems
Bullying
Anxiety
Depression
Understanding self-harm
Child sexual abuse
Alcohol and Drugs and how to communicate with young people about them
Teens, Parties and Alcohol: A practical guide to keeping them safe
Eating Disorders
Body Image
Resilience and Positive Psychology
Understanding the Teenage Brain
Online Time Management

From Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, published in 1936, which has sold over 30 million copies to date, to the mind management programme of Professor Steve Peters’ The Chimp Paradox, a concise and insightful guide to seventy of the most influential self-help books ever published

An entertaining, accessible companion, for readers of self-help books and sceptics alike. The titles include classics on achieving success, confidence and happiness, mindfulness, how to change your life, self-control, overcoming anxiety and self-esteem issues and stress relief.

The chronological arrangement of the titles reveals the intriguing story of how early self-improvement titles were succeeded by increasingly personality-based, materialistic titles and shows how breakout classics often influenced other titles for decades to come. Each book is summarised to convey a brief idea of what it has to offer the interested reader, while a ‘Speed Read’ for each book delivers a quick sense of what each writer is like to read and a highly compressed summary of the main points of the book in question.

This is a work of reference to dip into, that acknowledges that some of the most powerful insights into ourselves can be found in texts that aren’t perceived as being ‘self-help’ books, and that wisdom and consolation can be found in the strangest places.

Ten Minutes to Happiness is a therapeutic self-help programme based on a six-step formula designed to lift your mood and improve your mental health.

Dr Mann’s six steps are underpinned by psychological principles and have been tried and tested amongst many of her clients at The MindTraining Clinic in Manchester.

By spending just 10 minutes completing your happiness journal each day, you will build up a record of your experiences in six simple areas:
– Pleasure: Things that were enjoyed that day
– Positive Strokes: Praise or feedback received during the day
– Lucky Me: Good fortune you encountered that day
– Achievements: Reasons to say ‘well done me’, however small
– Gratitude: Blessings to be counted
– Random Acts of Kindness: Kind acts you have performed that day

The more you use this journal, the more your mood will benefit and the happier you will be, by appreciating the positive aspects of your life, rather than dwelling on the negative.