Stop Thinking, Start Living: Discover Lifelong Happiness

by Richard Carlson

Revolutionary in its simplicity and accessible to all, this bestselling book offers commonsense methods that allow you to let go of depression and tap into natural joy.

In this indispensable handbook, Richard Carlson demonstrates how we can change everything in our lives – earn more money, meet new friends, get a new job – yet still feel dissatisfied. Happiness, he says, is not 'out there' but within, a state of mind that is independent of circumstance: 'If you begin to see that your thoughts are not the real thing – they're just thoughts and as thoughts they can't hurt you – your entire life will begin to change today.'

Carlson's step-by-step guide explains:
• How your thoughts determine how you feel.
• Why thinking about problems only makes them worse.
• That thoughts come and go – you are free to choose at any moment which to hold on to and which to let go.
• Straightforward methods for conquering depression.
• How to dismiss negative thoughts and discover inner contentment.
• How to overcome lifelong pessimism and start really living.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Personal Development, Mental Health

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

Richard Carlson was an American author, psychotherapist, and motivational speaker. His book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and it's all Small Stuff (1997), was USA Today's bestselling book for two consecutive years and spent over 101 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. It was published in 135 countries and translated into Latvian, Polish, Icelandic, Serbian and 26 other languages. Carlson went on to write 20 books.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me save you £8.99 and several hours reading. This book has one message that could be written on the back of a matchbox: 'Don't dwell on negative thoughts'. And if that sounds negative, well, don't dwell on it.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed my life for the better. A book that everyone should read

[mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο που ουσιαστικά αναλύει πως ακριβώς οι αρνητικές σκέψεις είναι αυτές που προκαλούν και τα άσχημα συναισθήματα μας και πως αν καταφέρουμε τελικά να τις αγνοήσουμε θα ξεπεράσουμε το όποιο πρόβλημα έχουμε.Ωστόσο δεν δίνει κάποια ουσιαστική συμβουλή για το πως ακριβώς να καταφέρουμε κάτι τέτοιο,μόνο κάνει διαπιστώσεις του πόσο δύσκολο είναι να ξεπεράσουμε τη συνήθεια της αρνητικότητας και ότι πρέπει απλά να προσπαθήσουμε μόνοι μας να το αντιμετωπίσουμε.Ναί αλλά πως;Επίσης σε μερικές περιπτώσεις ο τόνος του συγγραφέα γίνεται λίγο απόλυτος και επιμένει μερικές φορές σε πράγματα που είναι δύσκολο κάποιος να τα δεχτεί όπως το ότι τα βιώματα του καθενός δεν παίζουν κανένα ρόλο στην αρνητικότητα ή ότι οι ευτυχισμένοι άνθρωποι δεν αναλύουν τίποτε και αγνοούν όλη την αρνητικότητα στη ζωή τους.Αυτό όμως δεν τους κάνει και λίγο αναίσθητους ή εγωκεντρικούς;Δεν θα έπρεπε να αναλύσει και αυτό το κομμάτι;
Συνολικά ήταν ένα αρκετά καλό βιβλίο ψυχολογίας που διαφοροποιείται από τα υπόλοιπα του είδους καθώς αναλύει ένα διαφορετικό θέμα με ένα τελείως ξεχωριστό τρόπο.Αυτό που θα ήθελα θα ήταν να προσεφέρε περισσότερες λύσεις παρά διαπιστώσεις.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book legitimately changed my life and my way of thinking. I’m going through very hard time and was being overrun with negative thoughts and spiraling, and this book taught me how to control my own thoughts. I cannot recommend this enough…. Im mind blown.

[Loz Archer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a common sense yet often forgotten central theme, which I have no doubt will help me keep much happier and more optimistic in my everyday life.

The book's message would get 4 or 5 stars. The book itself however, crikey, what a trudge.

I think it repeats the main message no less than three hundred times over its pages. Rather than reinforcing the point through bland and frankly annoying repetition, why not bring in case studies, or draw from psychological research to back up the premise? Instead the author just keeps bashing away, again and again. Ok, we get it already.

This book reminds me of Alan Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking. The message is amazing, it works, I'm a non-smoker... but my God, as a book it's quite dreadful.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves all 5 stars, no doubt. Hell if I could give 10 stars I would! I love how the author cleverly repeats concepts so that when you're finished you are left with a lot of clear content to think about! What else can I say? I simply loved it, I would read it again and again and strongly recommend.

[Sara Alkhaaldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best help self book , this book really helped me .
I learned how to live the moment and be a happy person and the thought is just thoughts unless we give it the power . Highly recommended

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended reading for everyone, very close to The Secret by Rhonda Byrne but I thought this book was better explained.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly repetitive, but overall profound and empowering.

[Käth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for letting go of negative thoughts.

[momo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly interesting book and I loved the way Carlson gets you to change your perspective.
While it is a little repetitive, I think that's done purposefully to instill what we are learning.

If you finished this book and thought it was a waste of time, then you have unfortunately not learnt anything and have allowed your negative thoughts to win.

[Zab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your brain processes an average of 70,000 thoughts per day. The quality of those thoughts will make or break you.

Thoughts are not reality. The what ifs, the guessing games, the opinions, they are just that. Thoughts. They may be there in your mind, but they are not concrete. It only becomes as real as you allow it to be. You can either manifest your own success with childlike, positive, hopeful thoughts that lead to action or follow a path of doom and paralysis, becoming a prisoner of the mind.

[Peter Hagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty eye-opening. absolutely worth the read.

[Ege Çetik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and practical information. Helps of you understand the logic of thoughts and the thinking process. Gets way too repetitive sometimes and it beats you over the head with the same concepts.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stop thinking start living by Richard Carlson. Originally published as You can feel good again, in 1993.
P 16. Unhappiness is the feeling that accompanies your negative thinking about your life in the absence of that thinking the unhappiness can't exist. There is nothing to hold your negative feelings in place other than your thinking.
Without thoughts there is no fuel to throw on the fire, there is nothing to foster the predisposition or physiological components into reality.
Some people simply don't experience unhappiness regardless of how serious their circumstances appear to be. They make the best out of the situation they are in. There are other people who have every reason to feel happiness and contentment , people who are often tormented by depression rather than appreciating what they have they focus on what they would rather have depression. rather than appreciating what they have they focus on what they would rather have.
P 18. Well a natural events such as an argument with a friend can last a minute or two your mind can recreate that very event, magnify it, and make it last three hours – or entire lifetime.

P 19 if you can begin to see that your thoughts are not the real thing – they are just thoughts and thosethoughts they can't hurt you– Your entire life will begin to change

P 21 being upset by your own thoughts similar to writing yourself a nasty letter , and then being offended by that letter.
P 22. You can frighten all depressed yourself with your own thinking in a matter of seconds if you don't realise that you're doing it. A thought may cross your mind, eg i've been depressed so long, or, my marriage is no good , you can dismiss those thoughts and others like them you can let them go. As long as you know that you are in charge that you are the one doing the thinking then you are protected. it's no different than dreaming.
P.23. Everyone has their share of negative and self-defeating thoughts. The question to ask yourself is, how seriously do I really have to take them? Your thoughts have no power other than that what you give them.
P 25.happy people understand that the name of the game is to enjoy life rather than to think about it. Happy people are so immersed in the process of life absorbed in what they are doing at the moment, but they really stop to analyse how they are doing. Observe a room full of preschool children. The reason they are having such a good time is because all of their energy is directed towards enjoyment. They are immersed in whatever they happen to be doing;they are not keeping score.
If you're constantly analysing or keeping score of your life, you will always be able to find fault whatever you are doing. After all, who could not improve? Many people even pride themselves on their ability to be on the lookout for what's wrong. But once again you will be at the mercy of your own thinking. One thought would lead to another.
P 26. True happiness occurs when you quiet down your analytical mind, when you give it to rest.
Once you realise that your thinking is what creates your experience of life, including your depression, analysing your life will lose its appeal. You will prefer simply to do the best that you possibly can in any given moment and pay attention to enjoying what you're doing, knowing that you can always do better.
P 27. There is a fundamental law at work here: Thoughts grow with attention. The more attention you gave to what you're thinking, the bigger the book becomes in your mind and the more important that thought will seem.
P 30. You cannot think your way out of depression. The reason is when your spirits are low you will generate negative thoughts. All you will see is negativity. You already know that your thoughts determine how you feel, but when you think in a depressed state of mind you will only make matters worse.
P 33. Your self-image and personality are a compilation of thoughts that you have about yourself, some of which may be negative. If you have never learned to take seriously negative thoughts about yourself, you would not experience the feelings that go along with them today. Your thoughts have no power to harm you other than the power you give them.
Unfortunately if you're not taught that the thoughts you have about yourself are just thoughts, you will start to believe that they describe the way you really are. The more you believe your own thinking, the more obscured your healthy functioning becomes.
P 46. It's surprising how little control you have over which thoughts enter your mind to begin with. It's as if thoughts just appear in your mind almost randomly. Your power or control over your own thinking begins after the formation of the thought. It is after you have a thought that you have the choice of continuing to think about it or let it drift away. Thoughts in and of themselves have no power to hurt you.
P 49. Once a person learns that the secret of mental health is the dismissal of negative thoughts, he is free to experience mental health regularly. The passage of time has no real relevance in helping us to get over something other than encouraging us to think about things besides whatever is bothering us.
P 57. Your past is now only a figment of your imagination, and so is your future. The only moment that is real is right now. As you recognise the powerful part that you're thinking plays in creating your experience you begin to realise that life is not responsible for your happiness or unhappiness, your thoughts are. This is a powerful insight because it suggests but you alone are capable of changing your own life.
The way you feel is determined by your thoughts. The more attention you put on anything that is negative, the worse you will feel.
P.66. It takes a very strong and wise person to distrust his own thinking.
P 67. The concept of ego is very closely related to that of a thought system. Both our thought-created. The truth is that human beings don't even have egos – there is no such thing. People only have egos because they think they do. Your ego is your idea or thoughts about who you are. The popular notion that people need an ego to live and succeed in life is untrue. As we let go of our thoughts of who we are, our insecurity begins to lift. It is then that we can begin to live outside our thought system or ego.
We begin to notice that we feel the happiest when we think about ourselves the least often.
P 68. If you drop the idea about yourself that you are shy person, you might find that you really do like to communicate with other people. A client of mine recently decided to do just that, and has just planned the first party they have ever hosted. If you begin to ignore thoughts you have about what you like and don't like, you might be willing to try new things. It all starts with the willingness to see yourself as more than what you have defined yourself to be.
Fred had never been told that his own thoughts were shaping his view of himself and his attitude towards life. His earlier therapy had convinced him that he was a victim of depression, which he would have to fight for the rest of his life. The more he thought about depression the worse he felt, which only convinced him and his therapist that the original diagnosis was correct. In our sessions together he learned how his thoughts shaped his perceptions and lead to his feelings. He came to the conclusion that he had been fighting an impossible battle. How could I ever feel better, he asked, while believing my thoughts about myself as a chronically depressed person? He realised that he had been trapped within the confines of his own thinking, that he was attempting to use that same thinking to get away from his depression. He realised that he had been using his own thinking against himself his entire lifetime and had rarely questioned his beliefs. He realised that he had unknowingly lived his life completely absorbed in the content of his own thoughts.
P 95. What makes understanding moods so difficult is that every time you are alone you will feel justified and certain that the way you are feeling is appropriate and necessary. You will feel a sense of urgency and self righteousness and you will want so badly to believe in what you are thinking. The only way out is to see the absolute absurdity of believing in what you are thinking and feeling when you are low, and then making a commitment to ignore your own thoughts whenever you find yourself in such a state. You must understand that your thoughts in the low feeling state are not worth paying attention to. They can only hurt you since they contain only gross distortions.
97. When you are in a low mood your thoughts are going to be negative, insecure and pessimistic. Your life and everything it will look bad. You will always be able to come up with many reasons why you feel so bad and theories to support and justify your misery. No matter what you come up with, regardless of how accurate you are, or how bad things look, it can only hurt you. Because the reasons themselves, the thinking about it, fuel the low mood. Without the reason , the mood would pass on its own.
100. I taught them to be compassionate towards themselves and not to take themselves seriously when they were trapped in low moods.
101. If you believe that your thinking is something that happens to you – instead of something that you are doing to create an experience of life – it is impossible for you to live in the present moment. If you feel that you must follow trains of thought as they enter your mind, you will be unable to remain in the present.
104. A genuinely happy person knows that life is nothing more than a constant series of present moments to be experienced. He sees the past for what it was able to teach him about how to live more in the now, and the future as more present moments to be experienced when they eventually arrive. Happy people strive to be fully with the person they are with, to be involved with whatever they are doing without thinking too much about the future or the past. They strive to experience each moment of their lives to its fullest. Many reports that they feel most immersed in the present moment when they arrive they are playing with the watch and children.
P115. Healthy functioning versus analytical mind.
Living moment to moment vs. living in the past or future.
Focus is on enjoyment, versus focus is on how life could be improved.
Mind is clear and free. Versus mind is full of worry and concern. Seeing the innocence versus seeing the evil Focusing on the beauty of life versus focusing on the ugliness Happy with what is, versus obsessed with what could be better.
Experiencing life versus organising life. Letting go, versus hanging on Focusing on what you can do versus focusing on what you cannot do Learning from mistakes going on, vs. dwelling on mistakes and repeating them.
Open and accepting versus closed and prejudiced.
120. You tend to believe whatever you think. True freedom comes when you begin to distrust your thought-created version of life.
126. Mental problems and unhappiness are the result of an individual becoming overly absorbed by the content of his own negative thinking, while at the same time being unaware that he is thinking. Each time this occurs, the individual will be at the mercy of the specific content of his own thinking. If his thinking is negative, so too will be the feelings he experiences. However because he's unaware that he is the producer of those feelings via his own thinking, he will place the blame for those feelings on external sources rather than on the negative thinking itself, which originates within himself.
134. It's always the thoughts you have about events, not events themselves that create the feelings you experience, your thoughts cannot hurt you as long as you remember that you are the thinker of your own thoughts and that your thoughts are creating the feelings you are experiencing. As long as you let these thoughts come and go, there effect on you will be minimal.
A feeling is a state of mind that comes about by keeping thoughts at the front of your mind. Any time you hold onto or dwell on a thought, be it positive or negative, you shift from a state of passing thoughts, which have no potential harm to you, to a state of mind or 'feeling state' which does have the potential to harm you.
If we let them simmer in our minds, thoughts will create the feelings we experience.
136. The good news is that because feeling states stem from your own thoughts, you can learn to have control over the feeling state you are in by learning to dismiss negative thoughts as they enter your mind.
When you aren't feeling emotionally well, your mind, in an attempt to explain its predicament, attaches itself to something tangible. So rather than just allowing yourself simply to feel bad , knowing that your negative feelings came from your own thoughts, your mind searches for a more sophisticated explanation. I feel bad because my life is no good, or I feel bad because I am sick, become the so-called reasons for our misery. Reasons we come up with seem to us , and to everyone else, to make complete sense. We think about the reasons frequently, we talk to others about the reasons, and so forth. We do this without realising that although we are searching for a solution to our problems, what we are really doing is making ourselves feel worse by finding explanations for our unhappiness. Once you know that the reasons you come up with Are not the cause of your misery – but that your mind's reaction to those reasons is – you can't help but feel better.
P137. The mind is very persistent in its efforts to explain why we feel bad. If the thought the reason I'm unhappy is that I have the wrong mate, does not help, the mind tries again, the reason I'm unhappy is that I had a terrible childhood. The mind will search and search, when in fact the right answer is always the same. It's your thoughts about events – not the events themselves – that make them seem painful.
If your painful thoughts can come and go, all events can be looked at with the same perspective and understanding.

No one likes pain and suffering and no one wants to feel bad. The difference between a person who can experience painful events in their life in a healthy way, meaning they get through painful events gracefully, and those who become immobilised by similar events has to do with their relationship to their own thoughts. The question is can you have thoughts, even negative ones, and let them pass? Or do you hold onto your thoughts, interfering with the natural flow and rhythm of your thoughts, to the point of letting your thoughts hurt your emotional life?

P142. Even a support group or therapist has intentions of purely good, they can potentially harm by encouraging one to think about and talk about one's thoughts, as if those thoughts had a life of their own.
P149. The quality of your life is determined solely by the relationship you have to your own thinking.
Don't make the mistake of attaching unlikely conditions to your happiness, such as, I can only be happy if my illness disappears. Happiness cannot occur when we place its source outside ourselves. If we assume that certain conditions must be met before we can feel contentment, we are too late to experience it.

P155. If there is one certainty in life it is this: when your spirits are low, your wisdom and common sense fly out of the window. You simply aren't at your best and you don't see you life clearly when you're feeling low. Since your feelings follow your thoughts, the more attention you put on a problem, the worse you will feel and the less wisdom you will have access to.
Einstein once said, "the solution to a problem will never come about from the same level of understanding that created the problem in the first place". In other words, dwelling on problems will not help us overcome them, because we will be unable to see the answer we need. Solutions are found, when we see things in a new and fresh way, when we allow the wisdom that comes from a quiet mind to take over. As ironic and simplistic as it may seem, you need to stop thinking about a problem in order to see a new solution. As your mind clears of your concerns, answers will occur to you that were covered up by your thoughts of the problem. Wisdom is nothing more than seeing the same old problems in a new and fresh way.
All thoughts grow with attention, and problems are no exception to this rule.

P159. This knowledge can shield you, to a large extent, from being devastated by the painful aspects you will face in your life. If you're grounded in the truth that life truly will look better soon, you can begin to move back to the original premise which is that your thinking is responsible for your own happiness. You may not always be able to change your circumstances, but you always have at least some control over your thinking.
P168. Circumstances don't make a person, they reveal him. Your life doesn't make you feel bad, you're thinking does.
Your attitude towards life and your beliefs about life originate within you. The way you look at life is not something that happens to you, it's something that you make up, moment by moment, as you move through life. At any moment in your life you can decide to change your attitude. Your attitude is made up of one thing only – your own thoughts. Change them, and your world will change.
P171. Things can go wrong and it's important to be prepared. It's impossible for anyone to feel good when they fill their head with negativity. One of the most important principles in this book is that you feel the way you do because of the thoughts you are having.
P172. When you find yourself saying something like 'I'll be happy someday' or 'I hope to be happy someday', what's your really saying is, some day I hope to be able to take my attention off my problems, concerns, negativity, and put it on a nice feeling, the feeling of love.
It's going to take practice. You are simply going to have to stop postponing what it takes to be happy. Sooner or later you will have to take that leap of faith and say to yourself, okay my life may not be perfect, but there is never going to be a better time for me to put my attention where it needs to be.
P174. Unhappy people don't see their thoughts as thoughts, they see them as reality, as important. They rarely ignore the thoughts that bring them down, but instead analyse or study them, thus giving them additional life, and making them seem even more formidable and important than they really are.
P177. As you have seen, the relationship you have with your own thinking is the most significant factor in determining the quality of your life. This is because your thinking directs the

[Ashley Palmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the best. Couldn’t really relate or comprehend with some of the things the author spoke about.

[NON · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a profound, and an essential book for almost every person. It helps in getting you in touch with your inner wisdom, and opens up your eyes to what to do regarding your thought system. Carlson does not play games and does not sell you no temporarily dose of feel-goody-good. He thoroughly takes you straight to the point with all his expertise in the field. A must read.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book will be most helpful to those who have already done enough retrospect and introspect on themselves, have the tools to combat their issues but somehow still hesitated to act on it.

This book will give you a kick in you butt and did exactly what the title of the book has to offer : stop thinking and start living.

The cognitive training in the book was very detailed and insightful.

However, and this is a rather big however, this book mentioned a lot of ‘failure cases’ and criticism to traditional therapy.

I do not agree to that saying at all and i find it rather reckless for the author to frame things that way.

Over trouble shooting or over analysing yourselves is no good for sure.

But identifying your problem is a crucial step to heal. traditional therapy and support groups DID NOT just talk about the past but also talk about the future.

Im also worried that it perpetuals the idea that the only reason people have depression is their problem, they overthink themselves to their illness.

For people who has enough knowledge on self help but still find themselves dwelling in unhappy thoughts then this book is for you.

If you are new to self help then dont forget to read more before deciding on what works for you and don’t judge others for using another approach.

Either way. Trying to get rid of negative thoughts is good. wishing everyone good luck to their journey.

[giadambooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I bought this book at the beginning of the week, my only intention of reading it was because of my horrible mental state.
When at the bookshop I caught it with my eyes, I thought to myself - “this book was meant to find me."

Unfortunately, my expectations were higher than the end result.
The context of the book felt to be a repetition of all the books I have read before as well as words and phrases in every chapter; it seemed to read the same thing over and over again.
Do not get me wrong, there were points that I surprisingly enjoyed and tips I’ve never read in any books but… to be honest with you, I could not wait to finish it.

This is a PERFECT book for beginners on their spiritual/self-help journey to understand psychological patterns that are disrupting their life.

Being a bestseller book, I was not really impressed.

[Les Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I have read it several times over the years and can honestly say that it’s one I always recommend to people who are experiencing problems with things like overthinking and over analysing.

What I like most about the book is that it addresses things in a simple, almost matter of fact way. Sometimes it seems to state the obvious, but I think that’s is what is needed!

My tip would be to read this book with an open mind. Like every self help book, not every single topic or chapter is going to directly relate to your life or experiences. The trick is to underline and bookmark the things that strike a chord with you so you can come back to them. Don’t just read it and not ever look at it again, as it’s great for dipping back into.

[Kira Amin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is simple and easy to follow. It is also applicable to most people and would no doubt be beneficial to anyone who read it. It is incredibly repetitive which does help to drum in the central ideas into your head so that they become more natural to you so you can implement them more easily. However, I did find that it became tedious and I was struggling to stay focused and read each line by the end. Still, if it's going to help you to feel better it's worth a read (at least partially through)

[Chandhni Sivashunmugam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A geat book which clearly proves the ill effects of thinking over a problem.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call me a slow learner, but this book blew my mind. A profound epiphany of psychological insight. One of my favorite self-help books of this lifetime and maybe even my next:-)

[Al Capwned · Rating 2 out of 5]

A repetitive message that is common in many books of the kind and I'm really not sure that every source of misery comes fron within us and our perspective only. There are also objective conditions.

[Ora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely accurate and pretty much helpful without any dramatic excuses nor prolong unnecessary explanation. It contains helpful & easy methods which I found simple & reassuring.

[Mantana Lertchaitawee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea is really powerful and could be life-changing. The book is repetitive but useful in implanting/convincing readers to execute the given advice.

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "Stop Thinking, Start Living" by Richard Carlson is a gentle reminder that much of our suffering is caused by our negative internal dialogue.

It teaches important lessons on how eliminating such thought processes and taking control of our lives can lead to greater things.

The main ideas conveyed in this book include practical strategies for letting go of negativity, living in the present moment, and overcoming overthinking. It emphasizes the benefits of focusing on what truly matters in life and highlights the power of mindset and behavior changes in achieving happiness.

The book offers common sense strategies such as letting go of negativity and depression, tapping into innate wisdom, and simplifying life.

It is particularly useful for individuals who have already engaged in introspection and self-reflection but hesitated to take action. The cognitive training provided in the book is detailed and insightful. However, it is worth mentioning that the book presents some "failure cases" and criticism towards traditional therapy, which I personally disagree with.

While dwelling on problems excessively is not beneficial, acknowledging and identifying issues are crucial steps towards healing. Traditional therapy and support groups not only address the past but also focus on the future. It is concerning that the book may perpetuate the idea that depression solely stems from overthinking.

This book can be helpful for individuals who have knowledge of self-help but still find themselves overwhelmed by negative thoughts. However, for those new to self-help, it is advisable to explore a variety of resources before deciding on the most suitable approach, without judgment towards others' choices.

Overall, "Stop Thinking, Start Living" provides practical advice and insights on leading a happier and more fulfilling life by embracing positivity and living in the present moment.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a quick and enjoyable read. However, I think that it stood up more in the time it was written in the 90s as opposed to more recently. I struggled with a couple of points:
> The lack of acknowledgement of neurochemical issues that can lead to mental health issues. I didn’t like the message that everyone can just choose to be happy. If anything, someone with clinical depression reading this book would just feel bad
> While I agree on a lot of the outcomes associated with happiness that are listed in the book (e.g. mindfulness, the ability to contextualise emotions, and feeling gratitude), I would have enjoyed some more detail on exercises that explain how one can practice these attributes. For example, trying meditation to practice mindfulness or gratitude journaling to get into the habit of feeling gratitude.

I found great nuggets of insight but on the whole it feels like this book is best for someone in an already healthy state of mind looking to get even more out of life.Reading this while depressed or in a “low” mood would have frustrated me more and made me feel worse about my situation.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has seriously transformed my thinking on depression, negativity and the nature of thought. I’m a super-analytical thinker - “hold on, let me over-think about it” - so I had no idea that constantly trying to work out why I felt so low and what I should be doing about it was only making things worse. I thought analysing it would help me see the answers. I was on a crappy feelings spiral. It took going away alone for a few days with a load of books like this one to get perspective, and this book in particular put everything in understandable terms. I am in control of my own thoughts! Huh, who knew?!
I now feel so much more in control, I know what to do when I’m in a low mood (stop thinking about it, get away and nurture myself) and I understand that I’ll be way better off trying to fix my problems when I’m out if my low mood. I’m already out of it 🙂 And now I can look down on my problems they don’t seem as bad as they did before! Let me at them 😁
Seriously, thank-you for this book. I will be gifting it to many people. This knowledge must be shared.

[xotic3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply reviewing this book, I do not think I can provide the best review that fits the awesomeness and perfection of this book, but I think I can say this: Never before did I come to learn that I am the one actually mentally hurting myself and hence physically causing my life to be in the dark, I really took my time to read this book page by page, chapter by chapter and sometimes read the same chapter over and over because it just hits that nerve that gives you a wakeup call. Stop thinking and overthinking for that matter because there is nothing you can do to change whatever happens, but you can change one thing for sure, yourself and the way you feel because you are the source of your feelings whether depressions, sadness or happiness, you think and in return you affect your moods and the way you interact with people and the way you live. SO STOP! And that's all :)