Customer Reviews

What To Do When Feeling Blue

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If you suffer from the blues from time to time you will find this book most beneficial. When you have depression it can be hard to think of ways to get out of it. Rebecca has 100 ways to help you on your way out of it. You could try a couple ideas every day. This book has practical advice and tips on how to combat depression. I found it very helpful in dealing with my own blues. It will lift your spirits and give you hope. There are so many, many good tips but one of my personal favorites was, "Simplify Your Life. Cut back on the complexities of your everyday existence. Learn to say no sometimes and nurture your spirit". In January most times people start feeling blue, what a good time it is to buy this today! What To Do When Feeling Blue is truly inspirational and has been a great addition to my Kindle book collection.

First, I would like to thank the author for very graciously providing me with an electronic copy of the text for reviewing purposes.

That taken care of, there are many positive things to say about this work.

The first thing you need to know is that it contains exactly what the product description says it does. The description states that "In this book you will learn Five Quick Things You Can Do to Start Feeling Better and 100 Ways to Beat Depression". That pretty much covers what you'll find inside. Essentially it's a list of a hundred and five suggestions, most of which are stated in only a sentence or two. Thus, it's not quite what most of us would think of as a "book". But if you put aside your preconceptions, that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Far too many self-help and self-improvement titles are padded out with filler that, in actual truth, doesn't really add much. This one cuts to the chase.

The next thing that the author should be lauded for is that she makes it very clear right from the outset that reading this work should not be a substitute for psychotherapy. Depression - real depression - is a very serious illness requiring serious medical help. Again, the author is to be commended for being so candid with her readers on this issue.

But beyond all that, how about the one hundred and five suggestions that are the real basis of this work?

Are they any good?

Well, I'm no psychologist, but I did do a double major in psychology way back when, so I do know a bit about the discipline. And I can tell you that it's quite obvious to me that so does the author. Many, perhaps most of her suggestions have a real basis in psychological science. They offer simple, concrete ways of implementing well established scientific findings.

Just to begin with, it's obvious to me that the author is well aware of the physical basis of "the blues". Just following a few of her suggestions about diet and exercise alone is likely to have a major impact on your mood.

Similarly, many of her suggestions revolve around learning to challenge and redirect your own negative "self talk". Again, this is a proven technique with a real basis in scientific research.

Another scientifically well grounded aspect of this work, but one that is likely to prove more controversial, is that some of the suggestions do bring God into the picture. This is grounded in real science because it is well established that those with a more spiritual approach to life are happier and live longer. At the same time, not every reader will actually believe in this "God" fellow.

On this front, I think it's important to remember that as with any self-help manual, or any manual at all for that matter, it's up to you to decide what to accept and what to reject, and what needs some tailoring to fit with your own unique approach. It's worth mentioning here that even the famous atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell (some might call him the Richard Dawkins of his day) was of the view that the mystical "sentiment" at least had some value. We all of us have the ability to access the underlying spiritual experience without necessarily having to buy into any particular belief system. On a more immediate level, it's also well worth mentioning that many of the suggestions in this work represent an extremely practical form of "spirituality". Most involve helping others, including the very down to Earth suggestion to simply take a child to the zoo. Here again there is a real basis in science to what the author is saying: helping others is extremely well established as a very effective way of making ourselves happier.

On a more trivial level, essentially the same issue crops up in that a handful of the suggestions do appear to be geared towards women more than men - or perhaps I should say, to stereotypically girly activities rather than more butch ones. If you're a guy, baths in scented oils are unlikely to be your thing.

But hey, by all means give it a whirl!

Theo.

Rebecca Johnson is a highly respected and widely read reviewer here on Amazon.com. She shares with us that she has had extended periods of depression or feeling blue and through her own ingenuity she has created this eBook as a guide to those many people who have the signs and symptoms of depression (she lists these in an erudite but accessible manner and reminds the reader to visit to a physician in addition to following her suggestions for `treatment') and then proceeds to share a warmly informative and entertaining list of techniques to utilize in both combating and treating the `blues'.

This is a difficult book to review because giving away too much of the contents may give the idea of how Rebecca has managed to counteract the periods of depression she has experienced. It is this reader's opinion that here is a very practical source for ideas on how to deal with the blues - a state of mind and body that probably each of us frequently faces or is facing at present if we are truly honest. What Rebecca offers is an extended list of ways in which to alter thinking and behavior - self helps to get through those periods. She opens with her own back ground and then immediately offers `Five quick things you can do to start feeling better: Start exercising (walking, pilates, yoga), Eat healthy foods, Read books on happiness, Take lots of warm baths with essential oils and sea salts, Listen to new music and watch movies.'

But where she is most tender and caring is following these five `must do' steps with an extended list of simple ways to combat blues. Some of these wonderful ideas include join a walking club, volunteer, go stargazing, plan a picnic, review on Amazon.com!, but not spend too much time isolated on computer, place quotes around your home, start a scrapbook, take early morning walks, redecorate a room, turn off the news, listen to the rain, eat by candlelight, write a poem, breathe, listen to a symphony, allow your self to grieve is you have lost someone, nibble chocolate, repeat affirmations to help you heal, give yourself permission to be happy and on and on.

Few others have taken the care and time to create such a gift to mankind. Were more people willing to share the way Rebecca John shares this world would be a more peaceful and loving place to live. Everyone should read this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Grady Harp, December 11

Many of us walking around have experienced depression at one time or another. Depression is an illness that can be controlled with various kinds of treatments, such as: medication and exercise. What To Do When Feeling Blue by Rebecca Johnson is a book of one hundred different ideas a person could try in an attempt to conquer a bout of depression. All the ideas will not work for everyone, nor should it be used in place of professional medical care, but it can be coupled for better results.

Ms. Johnson provided a small amount of personal information as to the reason she wrote this book; which originally was a webpage she created at a dark time in her own life. I believe she wanted to share this list of things to do in an attempt to keep others from struggling with depression like she did. With Ms. Johnson acknowledging that she had an issue with depression, I think she is also telling others it is okay to recognize they are sad, have anxiety, etc. and need help. The first step to healing is accepting there is something wrong.

What To Do When Feeling Blue is more like a collection of things to do to help with the uphill battle of coming out of the dark hole depression will push you into. I like the suggestion of yoga, because I know how I feel after doing 30 minutes of it. Reading books outside your normal genre, pick something that would bring a smile to your face. The best piece of advice was to move a chair close to a window and let the sun hit you while reading. I know I do not get as much sunlight as I should, especially during the winter months. Those are the toughest months for me, because I get seasonal affective disorder (SAD). As much as I hate outside, I have found that this year being out in the sun has helped me tremendously.

I wish Ms. Johnson, had tied in a little more of her personal battles with depression with each of the 100 ideas she provided. I think connecting herself to suggestions would make depression sufferers connect more with her concepts. Even if the things she shared were not helpful for her, at least the reader could see for themselves that she tried it all and they may have not all worked, but she never gave up trying to get out of her depression. I would recommend What To Do When Feeling Blue to any and everyone fighting depression.

The author provided an e-book copy for review purposes.

Jennifer Coissiere
Words Mosaic Reviews

This is a wonderful little book for those times when you feel unsure of what to do - when you're blue. Having suffered and overcome her own battle with depression, the author offers concrete suggestions based upon her own experience. Sharing our experiences of victory with others helps not only them, but ourselves as well. In this way, Rebecca Johnson created value from her darkest moments. This book can help the reader suffering from depression the same opportunity.