Customer Reviews

Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide (Oxford Paperbacks)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's unusual for me to read chapters of a book out of order. Had I read this book from front to back, I would have angrily tossed it out when I hit chapters 3 and 4. The authors have not had the pleasure of grasping the virtue of selfishness. Instead, they occasionally apologize and appease. In these early chapters they recommend "unconditional positive regard" stating that it's "not selfish, nor egoistic" to have this attitude towards ourselves. This chapter is a philosophical junkyard. They ask why we admire a Mother Teresa and answer that it's because she sacrifices herself for others. They ask "Would you admire her if she sacrificed herself for something worthless?" and omit the possibility that she is not admirable because she lived a life of sacrifice by choice and encourages others to do likewise. The authors also invent the contradictory concept of the "unselfish I."
So heaven help me! Why would I recommend such a book? I recommend it because it is chock full of simple good tips - e.g., good study skills, identifying and pursuing healthy goals to bring you pleasure, keeping friendships fair - with a lovely undercurrent of egoism despite occasional nosedives. For example, "Cultural attitudes, including religious ones, seem to make rewarding oneself seem bad..." (Were it my book, I would omit the "seem to") - or "Do not make a virtue out of being a martyr." The mix of good and bad ideas in this book makes me wonder if one author was philosophically healthier than the other one. This book offers valuable thinking skills. I recommend skipping chapters 1-3. This is a good book to keep in your reference library. If you are having difficulty with a particular issue in your life, read the chapter on that. Some skills that are helpful include:
- "swat" the NATs (negative automatic thoughts)
- distant elephants (do not commit yourself to unimportant activities no matter how far ahead they are)
- focus on important but non-urgent activities, rather than urgent non-important activities
- avoid "pressurizing" words: "should, must, have to, ought" which drain motivation
- avoid avoidance - actively solve your problems rather than run from them
- reduce the "inside" load of stress by changing attitudes
- learn how to unpackage your fears
- motivate yourself by focusing on the personal benefits of your success

I just picked this up at a local book store when I was very depressed, and it was just what I needed! The chapters on depression and anxiety are full of strategies and, dare I say, remedies for the depression illness. I've read a couple other books on similar therapies such as cognitive therapy, but have to recommend this one most of all. I especially found the section on what causes depression very insightful. One of these is not living your life to match with your values. How true! Although my values are God, wife, family, home, I've lived my life single til now as a wanderer with no direction to achieve those things I value so much. Now that I understand the rut that I'm in and how I got here, I'm going to make the changes necessary to be happy again!

This book offers practical approaches to helping a person solve his own problems. I read it through when I first purchased it (1996). Now I refer to it from time to time when I feel I need help with a particular matter. This book is easy to read, and it explains things in a professional manner for better understanding. The book offers practical techniques for solving many common and some difficult problems people experience. Teenagers can benefit reading this book because it addresses real problems which they are likely to face with real answers and stresses personal accountability for the answer to most of life's problems. I recommend it highly to everyone. It's a great book!

This is one of the best books of the type I've ever read. For someone who is depressed or otherwise searching for some truly excellent and comprehensive guidance in simply living a fuller, happier life, this is one of the books I'd suggest. Very readable and very down-to-earth.

This book is one of the most precious books I own in my collection. I have personally studied it and benefitted tremendously. I love it so much that I bought another one for a friend. Congrats to the authors.

I have found this book to be so helpful that I bought more copies and sent them out to my daughters. I wish I had this book ten years ago. It is a realistic approach to handling and understanding many situations in life. The exercises work like magic. So rarely have I found a book that I intend to keep as a reference guide as well. It is exceptional.

Great educational read. Stimulating. Straight forward and easy to read chapters. This book helped me through one of the worse times in my life.

this book has changed me inside out. I wished I had read this in my teenage years.

As the parent of a loved one recently suffering with mental illness, I needed to know how to help her, and how to help her help herself. The book presents simple, yet effective, practices that we used right away and saw the benefits of immediately.

I keep it beside my bed and re-read it often. They did a good job of grasping major skills we need to manage ourselves, our moods and attitudes.
I am extremely picky when it comes to self help books (vast majority of them is garbage) but this one is really helpful.
I am happy to have bought it