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Autoayuda Para Tus Nervios
Essential guide for everything you need to know to keep relaxed through every day life
Repackage of the phenomenally successful guide to dealing with nervous illness – Self Help for Your Nerves. This guide offers the most comprehensive insight and advice into coping with nervous stress.
Sufferers of nervous illness regard Self Help for Your Nerves as their bible – many believe that if they had found it earlier they would have been saved years of unnecessary suffering.
Dr Claire Weekes looks at:
How the Nervous System Works
What is Nervous Illness
Common factors in the development of nervous illness
Recurring Nervous Attacks
Plus important chapters on depression, sorrow, guilt and disgrace, obsessions, sleeplessness, confidence, loneliness and agoraphobia.
The book also shows the Dr Claire Weekes method, a practical programme on learning to take your place among people without fear.
Repackage of the phenomenally successful guide to dealing with nervous illness – Self Help for Your Nerves. This guide offers the most comprehensive insight and advice into coping with nervous stress.
Sufferers of nervous illness regard Self Help for Your Nerves as their bible – many believe that if they had found it earlier they would have been saved years of unnecessary suffering.
Dr Claire Weekes looks at:
How the Nervous System Works
What is Nervous Illness
Common factors in the development of nervous illness
Recurring Nervous Attacks
Plus important chapters on depression, sorrow, guilt and disgrace, obsessions, sleeplessness, confidence, loneliness and agoraphobia.
The book also shows the Dr Claire Weekes method, a practical programme on learning to take your place among people without fear.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 1981
291 people are currently reading
1546 people want to read
About the author
Claire Weekes
29 books90 followersDr Hazel Claire Weekes MBE was an Australian general practitioner and health writer. She also had an early career as a research scientist working in the field of comparative reproduction. She is considered by some as the pioneer of modern anxiety treatment via Cognitive Therapy. She continues to be noted for her books on dealing with anxiety disorders. Many of today's anxiety self-help books continue to cite her work.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 15, 2022
Probably the best self-help book on anxiety I have come across. And here audiobooks are really very helpful indeed. Her advice is simple, clear and really does work (at least for me).
Dated? Yes, very much so at times - particularly in terms of gender - but she says some wonderfully helpful, truthful things in a style that worked well for me. Again, as with all such books, the 40% or so of genuine, actually-makes-the-living-of-my-life-better advice in here is well worth any of the issues one might have with the rest of it.
Dated? Yes, very much so at times - particularly in terms of gender - but she says some wonderfully helpful, truthful things in a style that worked well for me. Again, as with all such books, the 40% or so of genuine, actually-makes-the-living-of-my-life-better advice in here is well worth any of the issues one might have with the rest of it.
February 21, 2017
This book saved my life
May 26, 2012
Mental health is one of those uncomfortable subjects that we, as human beings, try to avoid discussing; it is because of this reason that I feel it is important to review this book.
‘Self Help for Your Nerves’ helped me through a really tough time in my life. I bought several other ‘self help’ books during this time (in an attempt to avoid the inevitable trip to the doctor), but all of them seemed insincere, synthetic and unhelpful. Dr Claire Weekes’ book became a light in an interminable darkness. It gave me the courage to seek professional help for my anxieties and stress - for which I shall be forever grateful to her:
“The guidance you need is in this small book. The perseverance and courage you can, with help, find within yourself. The strength to recover is within you, once you are shown the way. I assure you of this.” – Dr Weekes.
I recommend this to anyone who suffers with anxiety, nerves, or is experiencing what seems like a ‘nervous breakdown’. Dr Weekes talks directly to you, the reader, and is endlessly sympathetic and encouraging. This is shown from the very beginning:
“If you are reading this book because you are having a nervous breakdown or because your nerves are ‘in a bad way’, you are the very person for whom it has been written and I shall therefore talk directly to you as if you were sitting beside me.”
So if you feel like your worries are weighing heavy on your shoulders, then read ‘Self-Help for your Nerves’ and let the professional guidance show you how to enjoy living life again.
‘Self Help for Your Nerves’ helped me through a really tough time in my life. I bought several other ‘self help’ books during this time (in an attempt to avoid the inevitable trip to the doctor), but all of them seemed insincere, synthetic and unhelpful. Dr Claire Weekes’ book became a light in an interminable darkness. It gave me the courage to seek professional help for my anxieties and stress - for which I shall be forever grateful to her:
“The guidance you need is in this small book. The perseverance and courage you can, with help, find within yourself. The strength to recover is within you, once you are shown the way. I assure you of this.” – Dr Weekes.
I recommend this to anyone who suffers with anxiety, nerves, or is experiencing what seems like a ‘nervous breakdown’. Dr Weekes talks directly to you, the reader, and is endlessly sympathetic and encouraging. This is shown from the very beginning:
“If you are reading this book because you are having a nervous breakdown or because your nerves are ‘in a bad way’, you are the very person for whom it has been written and I shall therefore talk directly to you as if you were sitting beside me.”
So if you feel like your worries are weighing heavy on your shoulders, then read ‘Self-Help for your Nerves’ and let the professional guidance show you how to enjoy living life again.
September 24, 2014
4.5 STAR RATING
Now I must admit that I sometimes find it very difficult to give a star rating to a self-help book as actually reading the book is only part of the therapy that it provides. In order to give a fully accurate rating the book would have to be read, the constructive ideas written within the pages followed and carried out wholeheartedly and a realistic amount of time left to pass for recovery. As I have only finished reading this book today I have not had time to really go through the processes that are outlined in this book, therefore, I do not know how much this book will actually have an impact on my life BUT I am willing to work my way through the suggestions.
I borrowed this book from the library (I find some self-help books to be over priced and there are just so many out there that you often don't know exactly what you're buying) so I am not able to refer back to this copy time and time again throughout recovery like this book suggests you do (unless I decide to purchase a copy) and so quite a few of the processes will have to be carried out using memory, which I know isn't often advised.
The reason for my high rating is because I found this book to be completely different to any other self help book that I have read in the past. Often these books outline the same sort of processes so you keep being fed the same sort of information but this book seems to have a more relaxed approach to dealing with stress, anxiety and depression...and in some ways a more realistic approach. It teaches you the methods of 'floating' not 'facing', 'accepting' not 'fighting' and 'comfort' not 'conflict'.
I am definitely not a stranger to anxiety and depression and so for a long time I have been actively searching for ways in which these 'illnesses' can be 'cured' or made less intense. This book has definitely helped me in the sense that it has given me a completely different perspective compared to what I had before reading this book. Stress and depression can cause you to be a lot less open minded than you perhaps used to be and being accepting of new ideas and view points may seem very daunting, however, when ideas are presented in this book Dr Weekes gives examples about how the sufferer may be feeling once presented with an idea (personally I found her to be pretty spot on) and so you are given a sense of relief that someone out there knows what you are going through and that she has helped many people in similar situations.
The book also contains numerous 'Case Studies', where Dr Weekes gives examples of some of her clients, their problems, their emotions, their coping strategies and the feedback that she provides for them. The 'life problems' discussed are very broad and so you may find that one might be similar to your current situation, a situation you have been in or perhaps even a situation that you are frightened you might end up in in the near or distant future.
My retraction of 1/2 a star wasn't because this book has any negative aspects but simply because I am yet to fully explore it's full potential and to put it into practice, as mentioned earlier on in my review.
I find that just knowing that someone is there 'talking to you' and 'guiding' you in the right direction is comforting and kind of relaxing in a way...a helping hand, to turn that frown upside down.
Now I must admit that I sometimes find it very difficult to give a star rating to a self-help book as actually reading the book is only part of the therapy that it provides. In order to give a fully accurate rating the book would have to be read, the constructive ideas written within the pages followed and carried out wholeheartedly and a realistic amount of time left to pass for recovery. As I have only finished reading this book today I have not had time to really go through the processes that are outlined in this book, therefore, I do not know how much this book will actually have an impact on my life BUT I am willing to work my way through the suggestions.
I borrowed this book from the library (I find some self-help books to be over priced and there are just so many out there that you often don't know exactly what you're buying) so I am not able to refer back to this copy time and time again throughout recovery like this book suggests you do (unless I decide to purchase a copy) and so quite a few of the processes will have to be carried out using memory, which I know isn't often advised.
The reason for my high rating is because I found this book to be completely different to any other self help book that I have read in the past. Often these books outline the same sort of processes so you keep being fed the same sort of information but this book seems to have a more relaxed approach to dealing with stress, anxiety and depression...and in some ways a more realistic approach. It teaches you the methods of 'floating' not 'facing', 'accepting' not 'fighting' and 'comfort' not 'conflict'.
I am definitely not a stranger to anxiety and depression and so for a long time I have been actively searching for ways in which these 'illnesses' can be 'cured' or made less intense. This book has definitely helped me in the sense that it has given me a completely different perspective compared to what I had before reading this book. Stress and depression can cause you to be a lot less open minded than you perhaps used to be and being accepting of new ideas and view points may seem very daunting, however, when ideas are presented in this book Dr Weekes gives examples about how the sufferer may be feeling once presented with an idea (personally I found her to be pretty spot on) and so you are given a sense of relief that someone out there knows what you are going through and that she has helped many people in similar situations.
The book also contains numerous 'Case Studies', where Dr Weekes gives examples of some of her clients, their problems, their emotions, their coping strategies and the feedback that she provides for them. The 'life problems' discussed are very broad and so you may find that one might be similar to your current situation, a situation you have been in or perhaps even a situation that you are frightened you might end up in in the near or distant future.
My retraction of 1/2 a star wasn't because this book has any negative aspects but simply because I am yet to fully explore it's full potential and to put it into practice, as mentioned earlier on in my review.
I find that just knowing that someone is there 'talking to you' and 'guiding' you in the right direction is comforting and kind of relaxing in a way...a helping hand, to turn that frown upside down.
July 9, 2014
As somebody who has suffered on and off with anxiety disorder for 9 years, I am always looking to build my knowledge to reduce the bewilderment and confusion which the disorder brings. Claire Weekes is one of the people on that same wavelength. She's not trying to tell you everything will be great tomorrow or that some magic pill exists. What she delivers is the background to what's going on during anxiety and the approach which will enable you to move most effectively past it and reduce future sensitisation.
You have to respect that this woman was producing these findings in the 70s and 80s and it's mainly relevant to today. There are some references she makes to practices more common of her era but it's done in a way to give you comfort if that's the treatment you are getting... She ALWAYS reassures that you can succeed on her method alone.
Read it and believe ... Loosen and accept
You have to respect that this woman was producing these findings in the 70s and 80s and it's mainly relevant to today. There are some references she makes to practices more common of her era but it's done in a way to give you comfort if that's the treatment you are getting... She ALWAYS reassures that you can succeed on her method alone.
Read it and believe ... Loosen and accept
February 5, 2011
excellent book
October 18, 2012
Fantastic book that I'll be re-reading again, this deserves five stars. This book has a lot of good tips along with examples of stories involving others that have used the advice given. I have found it very useful and would definitely recommend it.
February 3, 2015
Amazing !!! Was suffering from anxiety and this book totally opened my eyes. Very simple to understand, writer really connects with her readers and has good ways to get through to them! The book is very inspiring, inspired me to be the better/healthier me !
October 29, 2019
I was tempted to just add this book as read and not review it. But like Lauren says in her review we tend to avoid talking about mental health, I didn't want to just brush over the fact I read this book and found it helpful. Plus I'd like to have my notes to look back on in the future.
"If you were able to convince yourself that fear was the main reason for your previous breakdown (there will be no doubt of this if you are honest), you can surely understand that it did so by interfering with your power to think rationally. Can you see how, uninfluenced by fear, your ability to think and act would be so much more efficient? You would be able to let the first shock pass and then cope with the problem."
With a friendly and comforting voice Claire Weekes goes through various symptoms of overactive nerves. She demystifies these feelings and the fear and shame surrounding them. Talks a little about why different bodily reactions happen but not too much. It's not about why your hands are tingling and shaking, and then judging and fighting that, but about knowing it's a natural reaction and you don't need to panic. The normal evolutionary animalistic first fear. You don't need to control or stop that - it is the fear of the fear that takes over our lives.
"It may have been some trivial event that drew him back, but is it so important to find out? Strangely enough it always seems so to the sufferer. Actually it's important to realise that tomorrow is another day and could be the best yet, however upsetting yesterday or today may have been. Do not measure your progress day by day."
This book isn't repetitive or dragged out. It's not over-complicated. These are powerful and believable practical steps. It's not focused on labels and judgement, and also not against drugs. It's not "you can cure yourself with no support" sort of self-help. Encourages asking for and accepting help and discusses the right kinds of help. Powerful stuff on self-pity, pride and confidence, and on occupation vs rest. Interesting to think about when we are avoiding things for fear of the fear and when we are pushing ourselves to do things just to fight it, both not helpful. Loved the parts about not judging progress by each day, ups and down, confidence in future recovery, accepting what is now. Also found the section on obsessions helpful.
"Carry out instructions wholeheartedly.
Never be completely discouraged.
Have no self-pity.
Let there be few regrets and fewer if onlys."
There's a part about how if you face your "terrible feelings" and try to make them worst you will find that you cannot. We shrink from feelings for fear of making them worse but by facing them we lose some of the fear and it may actually have a calming effect. So much of living with anxiety is the anticipation, the nerves are intimidating and feel over-powering.
"Facing.
Accepting.
Floating.
Letting time pass."
"In your tense effort to control yourself you have been releasing more and more adrenalin and so further exciting your organs to produce the very sensations from which you have been trying to escape."
"The next time you feel a spasm of fear, instead of shying away from it and trying to forget it or control and prevent it coming, as you have done in the past, I want you to examine it as it sweeps through you and even to describe it to yourself, noting in detail its various component sensations. When you do this, you will find that the wave of fear strikes hardest when it first strikes, and that if you stand your ground and relax, it quietens and disappears. When you have learnt to face fear this way, and see it as no more than a physical feeling, you begin to lose your fear of fear. You step outside a vicious circle. A spasm may come from time to time, but you learn to disregard it. Eventually it means so little that you hardly notice it in passing."
"Float and don't fight."
"Strange isn't it? How the use of one simple word would free a mind that had been imprisoned for months? The explanation is simple enough. When you fight you become tense and tension inhabits action. When you think of floating you relax and this helps action."
"If you were able to convince yourself that fear was the main reason for your previous breakdown (there will be no doubt of this if you are honest), you can surely understand that it did so by interfering with your power to think rationally. Can you see how, uninfluenced by fear, your ability to think and act would be so much more efficient? You would be able to let the first shock pass and then cope with the problem."
With a friendly and comforting voice Claire Weekes goes through various symptoms of overactive nerves. She demystifies these feelings and the fear and shame surrounding them. Talks a little about why different bodily reactions happen but not too much. It's not about why your hands are tingling and shaking, and then judging and fighting that, but about knowing it's a natural reaction and you don't need to panic. The normal evolutionary animalistic first fear. You don't need to control or stop that - it is the fear of the fear that takes over our lives.
"It may have been some trivial event that drew him back, but is it so important to find out? Strangely enough it always seems so to the sufferer. Actually it's important to realise that tomorrow is another day and could be the best yet, however upsetting yesterday or today may have been. Do not measure your progress day by day."
This book isn't repetitive or dragged out. It's not over-complicated. These are powerful and believable practical steps. It's not focused on labels and judgement, and also not against drugs. It's not "you can cure yourself with no support" sort of self-help. Encourages asking for and accepting help and discusses the right kinds of help. Powerful stuff on self-pity, pride and confidence, and on occupation vs rest. Interesting to think about when we are avoiding things for fear of the fear and when we are pushing ourselves to do things just to fight it, both not helpful. Loved the parts about not judging progress by each day, ups and down, confidence in future recovery, accepting what is now. Also found the section on obsessions helpful.
"Carry out instructions wholeheartedly.
Never be completely discouraged.
Have no self-pity.
Let there be few regrets and fewer if onlys."
There's a part about how if you face your "terrible feelings" and try to make them worst you will find that you cannot. We shrink from feelings for fear of making them worse but by facing them we lose some of the fear and it may actually have a calming effect. So much of living with anxiety is the anticipation, the nerves are intimidating and feel over-powering.
"Facing.
Accepting.
Floating.
Letting time pass."
"In your tense effort to control yourself you have been releasing more and more adrenalin and so further exciting your organs to produce the very sensations from which you have been trying to escape."
"The next time you feel a spasm of fear, instead of shying away from it and trying to forget it or control and prevent it coming, as you have done in the past, I want you to examine it as it sweeps through you and even to describe it to yourself, noting in detail its various component sensations. When you do this, you will find that the wave of fear strikes hardest when it first strikes, and that if you stand your ground and relax, it quietens and disappears. When you have learnt to face fear this way, and see it as no more than a physical feeling, you begin to lose your fear of fear. You step outside a vicious circle. A spasm may come from time to time, but you learn to disregard it. Eventually it means so little that you hardly notice it in passing."
"Float and don't fight."
"Strange isn't it? How the use of one simple word would free a mind that had been imprisoned for months? The explanation is simple enough. When you fight you become tense and tension inhabits action. When you think of floating you relax and this helps action."
Read
November 7, 2010And I say fuck them all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fItNlx...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fItNlx...
January 11, 2022
La autora insiste en que el conocimiento de los síntomas, autoconvencerte de que no te suceder�� nada y algunos ejercicios mentales sostenidos en el tiempo para relajación consigue que pierdas en miedo, el causante principal de la ansiedad.
(hay 3 o 4 frases puntuales muy desfasadas pero considerando que el libro es de 1969 se pueden ignorar y quedarse con el resto del contenido)
(hay 3 o 4 frases puntuales muy desfasadas pero considerando que el libro es de 1969 se pueden ignorar y quedarse con el resto del contenido)
August 11, 2025
The BEST anxiety book I have ever listened to. I absolutely will be getting myself a hard copy and studying it like my own bible. Can't believe it was written in the 80's - she was so ahead of her time. A book, no doubt, that i'll be delving into again and again!
November 22, 2021
Needs updating.
November 18, 2018
This is a book I revisted after two years. I have been recommended the book by an old lecturer/professor in my Mental Health Studies class at university. She said it was helpful for her own struggles and felt that I would appreciate it too with what we had discussed. Sadly I had never ended up finishing her copy and then when I got around to buying mine, I never ended up touching it and soon forgot about it.
Needless to say, I'm glad I still held onto it. I felt like I was able to better understand how to cope with a lot of things that I never knew how best to cope with. There are so many ways to look after your mental health and well-being that I have always had the tendency to overthink it. In the past year, I had been working on a lot of things I know needed working on (i.e. overthinking). Anyhow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for what it read as. Largely common sense and parts of it were pretty eye opening.
I will say I wasn't too sure I liked how often the author used the word 'cure'. When I sort of found myself fed up how many times I had read the word 'cure', I saw that it was published in the '70s. In addition this, I chose to skip the 'Shock Treatment' section she added. Again, given the context in-which this book was written, I understood why it was there but I honestly didn't care much for it so I skipped that.
I will say that I appreciate how much emphasis the author puts on seeing someone when it comes to medication and addresses aspects of nerves that I never would have thought had much to do with it. The repetition is good, the examples are good and the advice is effective. I would recommend it to people who are interested in understanding what it means to feel their nerves when they do - whether you don't think it's a problem for you or not. It's interesting to understand different points of view and ones that make sense to you too.
Needless to say, I'm glad I still held onto it. I felt like I was able to better understand how to cope with a lot of things that I never knew how best to cope with. There are so many ways to look after your mental health and well-being that I have always had the tendency to overthink it. In the past year, I had been working on a lot of things I know needed working on (i.e. overthinking). Anyhow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for what it read as. Largely common sense and parts of it were pretty eye opening.
I will say I wasn't too sure I liked how often the author used the word 'cure'. When I sort of found myself fed up how many times I had read the word 'cure', I saw that it was published in the '70s. In addition this, I chose to skip the 'Shock Treatment' section she added. Again, given the context in-which this book was written, I understood why it was there but I honestly didn't care much for it so I skipped that.
I will say that I appreciate how much emphasis the author puts on seeing someone when it comes to medication and addresses aspects of nerves that I never would have thought had much to do with it. The repetition is good, the examples are good and the advice is effective. I would recommend it to people who are interested in understanding what it means to feel their nerves when they do - whether you don't think it's a problem for you or not. It's interesting to understand different points of view and ones that make sense to you too.
August 7, 2024
A good book with interesting take aways delving into how anxiety can manifest physically and mentally and how to deal with those feelings. Looking at connecting mind to body was probably the best thing about the book.
Unfortunately, it’s incredibly dated. Any mention of women was tied with being a mother or a housewife. The presumption that any support can be given from a man. And finally, the mention on relying on god.
It’s good to see tho that a book as dated as it is, talked honestly about shock therapy etc.
Unfortunately, it’s incredibly dated. Any mention of women was tied with being a mother or a housewife. The presumption that any support can be given from a man. And finally, the mention on relying on god.
It’s good to see tho that a book as dated as it is, talked honestly about shock therapy etc.
April 1, 2021
My doctor actually recommended this for me to read and it’s really helped me deal with anxiety and stress.
It is no way perfect as different approaches work for different people however, whenever I experience anxiety, I think back to this book and remember where my anxiety is really coming from and can then calm and soothe myself
It is no way perfect as different approaches work for different people however, whenever I experience anxiety, I think back to this book and remember where my anxiety is really coming from and can then calm and soothe myself
July 15, 2017
When I was recommended this book as "the bible for dealing with anxiety" I was a bit sceptical, but now I honestly think it's worth its reputation. It's so simple and yet so effective and so insanely relatable. The whole time reading it I kept just wishing I would have found it sooner already.
April 11, 2018
Excellent
Easy read and very helpful self help book for those who suffer with nerves. Would recommend to everyone who suffers / knows someone struggling with nerves.
Easy read and very helpful self help book for those who suffer with nerves. Would recommend to everyone who suffers / knows someone struggling with nerves.
November 17, 2022
Very good and informative. Some parts a bit out dated though
January 6, 2025
Would only recommend this for people with severe anxiety. Panic disorders, nervous breakdown and their family members and friends
October 25, 2020
I was listening to the Claire Bowditch audiobook and she mentioned this work; said it saved her life. And I thought, wait a sec, I own that book. [for some reason, I grabbed it in an Amazon sale when it was 99c. Always so extravagant, AM]
It was published in 1981 but clearly some of the language and ideas are older than that.
It is old fashioned, but excellent and super practical.
[I went out and bought it in paperback to give to anxious people I know.]
See/ lots of words like ‘nervous breakdown’ and stressed housewives and so on.
Given I had also just finished The Bell Jar, this quote hit hard.
Exactly.
She is considered now to be the pioneer of modern anxiety treatment via Cognitive Therapy, and she even has a little rule; Claire B turned it into an acronym faffle.
Claire B named her inner critic Frank and tells him to F**k off all the time, too - each to their own.
Claire W is also an Aussie! Yay. And there is a new bio coming out about her. She must have been a breath of fresh air to patients.
She sounds so sensible.
4 stars
It was published in 1981 but clearly some of the language and ideas are older than that.
It is old fashioned, but excellent and super practical.
[I went out and bought it in paperback to give to anxious people I know.]
Whether breakdown be mild or severe, the basic cause is fear. Conflict, sorrow, guilt or disgrace may start a breakdown, but it is not long before fear takes command. Even great sorrow at the loss of a loved one is mixed with fear, the fear of facing the future alone. Sexual problems are most likely to cause breakdown when accompanied by fear or guilt. Guilt opens the door to fear. Anxiety, worry, dread are only variants of fear in different guises. (p. 19).
See/ lots of words like ‘nervous breakdown’ and stressed housewives and so on.
Given I had also just finished The Bell Jar, this quote hit hard.
My main object in writing this book is to teach you how to cure yourself without shock treatment, and I wish to do so for the following reasons.
1. When a person is cured by shock treatment he does not understand how the cure has come about. Therefore, were he to have a similar breakdown in the future, he may be no more capable of extricating himself then than now and would possibly need further shock treatment. We are all vulnerable to something we dread, and some people who have had shock treatment dread the thought of another breakdown and more such treatment. Living with dread, however neatly tucked away in the subconscious, does not encourage relaxation. (p. 68).
Exactly.
She is considered now to be the pioneer of modern anxiety treatment via Cognitive Therapy, and she even has a little rule; Claire B turned it into an acronym faffle.
You recover then by facing, accepting, floating, and letting time pass.
Claire B named her inner critic Frank and tells him to F**k off all the time, too - each to their own.
Claire W is also an Aussie! Yay. And there is a new bio coming out about her. She must have been a breath of fresh air to patients.
My advice is always the same: while it is unwise to undertake tasks that are obviously too strenuous, it is better to work and risk overtiring yourself than to do nothing for fear of it. But it is important that when you do overtire yourself, you do not lose confidence and waste additional energy regretting and wondering ‘Why?’ There will probably be many such episodes before you are completely cured. If you accept the fatigue calmly, rest and work again, you take two steps forward to each step back. (p. 151).
She sounds so sensible.
4 stars
November 22, 2022
You might be skeptical of a self-help book dating from the 80s and ask yourself if the guidance is still relevant. I can testify that it is, and that the slightly old fashioned tone of the book made me feel like a wise and educated woman was imparting advice to me.
I read this book during an anxious period and the simple and effective advice was something that was so easy to implement straight away and although it didn't solve all my problems (obviously), it did help me manage my symptoms of anxiety. My favourite thing, which sounds so silly but is so effective, is to imagine 'floating' when you are anxious about something. So if you're nervous about travelling, you just 'float' there. It sounds ridiculous, but there it is: it helped! She also urges the reader to accept their physical feelings of discomfort. They won't hurt you. You shouldn't try to 'fix' the problem causing them as this usually leads to more rumination and circular thinking which worsens your anxiety. Another piece of her advice was to get out of bed as soon as you wake up, but I'm still working on that one (thanks Reddit).
Anyway, like all self-help books, this isn't likely to cure you overnight. But I can really recommend it to sufferers of anxiety for it's concrete, simple and effective advice.
I read this book during an anxious period and the simple and effective advice was something that was so easy to implement straight away and although it didn't solve all my problems (obviously), it did help me manage my symptoms of anxiety. My favourite thing, which sounds so silly but is so effective, is to imagine 'floating' when you are anxious about something. So if you're nervous about travelling, you just 'float' there. It sounds ridiculous, but there it is: it helped! She also urges the reader to accept their physical feelings of discomfort. They won't hurt you. You shouldn't try to 'fix' the problem causing them as this usually leads to more rumination and circular thinking which worsens your anxiety. Another piece of her advice was to get out of bed as soon as you wake up, but I'm still working on that one (thanks Reddit).
Anyway, like all self-help books, this isn't likely to cure you overnight. But I can really recommend it to sufferers of anxiety for it's concrete, simple and effective advice.
June 30, 2024
This is the end all be all self help book, it's natural and doesn't make unexpected goals.
It's all achievable and natural. Most books on self help are bloated pseudo profound nonsense. This book is written in a simple manner. The author makes you understand the problem in each chapter and then it's followed by a few steps towards healing.
It's definitely a great read and something an anxiety ridden person should read again and again.
Don't waste your time on nonsense self help books that are making you follow unrealistic goals.
This book will tell you again and again that it will take time to stay calm and work on the steps given.
What stuck with me was that the author mentions that depression is all in your head and that greatly changed my perspective on depression. Definitely a great read.
It's all achievable and natural. Most books on self help are bloated pseudo profound nonsense. This book is written in a simple manner. The author makes you understand the problem in each chapter and then it's followed by a few steps towards healing.
It's definitely a great read and something an anxiety ridden person should read again and again.
Don't waste your time on nonsense self help books that are making you follow unrealistic goals.
This book will tell you again and again that it will take time to stay calm and work on the steps given.
What stuck with me was that the author mentions that depression is all in your head and that greatly changed my perspective on depression. Definitely a great read.
January 2, 2025
This is quite an old book but I've seen some people still swear by it so I thought I'd give it a try.
The first few chapters were great and genuinely had some great advice. But the age of this book became very apparent quite quickly with the backwards approach to gender roles. It felt like this whole book was just written for men with the occasional woman's perspective thrown in.
I also didn't like how the author talked about religion. She implied that only religious people can easily "find the way" and non-religious people will struggle to recover. That is certainly not the case. I am a spiritual person but, of course, the only religion she's referring to is Christianity. Whatever you do or don't believe in, you can recover.
So, yeah, an okay book at first but quickly earned the "about to throw it across the room" status.
The first few chapters were great and genuinely had some great advice. But the age of this book became very apparent quite quickly with the backwards approach to gender roles. It felt like this whole book was just written for men with the occasional woman's perspective thrown in.
I also didn't like how the author talked about religion. She implied that only religious people can easily "find the way" and non-religious people will struggle to recover. That is certainly not the case. I am a spiritual person but, of course, the only religion she's referring to is Christianity. Whatever you do or don't believe in, you can recover.
So, yeah, an okay book at first but quickly earned the "about to throw it across the room" status.
November 16, 2022
This is a book I come back to regularly. There is something comforting in knowing that people in 1990, when this was published , struggled with some of the same things that I do now. Even though the language and some contents are definitely outdated, this book breaks down anxiety and panic attacks in a way that makes them seem less scary and gives very helpful advice on how to handle different symptoms. Although it didn't heal me completely like the foreword promises (that would be too good to be true) it definitely changed my approach to my issues to the better and gave me tools that improved my overall wellbeing. I would recommend this to anyone that struggles with panic attacks or even someone that wants to support a loved one with anxiety.
November 25, 2020
Recovery from nervous suffering through understanding nervous fatigue, together they forge an understanding of nervous illness and develop a recovery program to instill confidence and happiness. This book offers hope and new levels of understanding to nervous fatigue -- Dr Weekes explores the common and almost inevitable patterns that can occur with nervous illness. She also looks at the commonest kind of nervous illness -- the anxiety state, or nervous breakdown. This book also looks at the problems of agoraphobia. Sufferers of nervous illness often become trapped in a cycle of suffering, Dr Claire Weekes shows how they can break this cycle and take their place among people without fear.
May 18, 2025
I came across this book after listening to a podcast that mentioned it—and I’m so glad I did. It’s packed with powerful, practical techniques that really do make a difference. What initially drew me in were the reviews from soldiers who’ve used it to manage PTSD, which I found incredibly inspiring.
Claire Weekes writes with warmth and clarity, making complex feelings easier to understand and approach. Her methods are straightforward, compassionate, and surprisingly effective.
It’s already helped me a lot, and I know I’ll come back to it again. It's definitely worth a read if you're struggling with anxiety, stress, or nervous exhaustion.
Claire Weekes writes with warmth and clarity, making complex feelings easier to understand and approach. Her methods are straightforward, compassionate, and surprisingly effective.
It’s already helped me a lot, and I know I’ll come back to it again. It's definitely worth a read if you're struggling with anxiety, stress, or nervous exhaustion.
July 30, 2020
Despite being a little dated in places (lots of talk of housewives and shock therapy), it’s easy to see why this is a classic on anxiety. The advice breaks down simply into several steps that are repeated often enough to be absorbed without effort, but without becoming annoyingly repetitive. It’s easy to trace a line between stoic philosophy, this, and CBT and it’s interesting to see this as a stepping stone to techniques focusing on meditation and mindfulness.
January 9, 2021
Decided to read this after the author was recommended in another book as the mother of mindfulness. Particularly intrigued as it was by an Australian doctor. At first I must confess I did not find it as revolutionary or enlightening as other reviews had painted it but by the second half I felt differently and there were definitely some great strategies that resonated in dealing with anxious thoughts.
July 20, 2021
This is a very old fashioned book so it's good to know before you start reading, but it does have some good advice on how to move past anxiety and chronic pain. Her basic tenets are to accept your anxiety/pain, rather than avoiding it or pushing it aside. She calls it "floating", so just float through anxiety/pain without trying to analyze it, fight it or figure out how to change it. It's a very zen approach and very current with modern techniques of mind/body healing.
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