Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you are feeling suicidal or want to hurt someone else, please don’t rely on just a book. Find a therapist. If they don’t click with you, keep looking. Meanwhile, there is a lot this book can do for you if you put in the work.

My daughter recommended this book. She laughed and said she just loved the title. I had no idea what the book was like, so I picked up the audiobook on Libby.

A friend of mine and I have been working on our creativity. Trying to get the muses to work with us. In the process, we have found some glitches we keep running into. Feelings of not being good enough seem to scream at us, feeling stuck and unable to finish what we planned. These are just a couple of issues that have plagued us. While listening to this book, I saw so many ways that Doctor Burns’ methods could help those concerns and reach a few deeper, long-seated matters.

I have been in therapy in the past for depression and anxiety. The doctor even put me on disability. I fought against that one, but once he put me on the pharmaceuticals I knew I couldn’t do much. Each drug had so many side effects that it wasn’t long before I had to give them up. But I was left with more issues than I started. Working in public was not an option for quite a while. When depressed and feeling anxious, shaking, or gaining more weight doesn’t promote the self-esteem needed to meet anyone new. So I gave them up. If you find yourself in that position, try to have the doctor help you. My insurance ran out, and I was stuck figuring out how to get off those powerful chemicals. Titrating off is harder than titrating onto a drug. Anyway, with no one to help me, I had to find ways to cope. Writing helped. Being creative, even when I didn’t feel like it, helped get me out of my head. And it was nice to have a finished project to feel good about. I wish I would have had this book back then.

The only problem with the audio version from the library is that it didn’t come with all the charts, forms, and other thought instigators that are in the paper book, so I will buy it when I get paid.

David D. Burns often says that if you have a deeper problem than these cognitive-behavioral prompts can deal with, seek help. Meanwhile, they might help a little while you are looking for someone to assist you.

At first, my plan is to hit the creativity snags in my psyche using his methods. But deeper still will be health, exercise, and housekeeping. Because I think the method can be viewed from many levels and handle many problems. And having a friend to reflect with as we go through this together will help both of us. If it gets too heavy we’ll know when to gently suggest when we might need a professional. Hopefully, we won’t need that, but it is nice to get out of our heads and into productive living.

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