Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens: A Workbook to Break the Nine Thought Habits That Are Holding You Back

by Mary Karapetian Alvord, Anne McGrath

You aren’t what you think! For teens with negative thinking habits, a licensed psychologist and a health journalist offer cognitive restructuring—a simple and effective cognitive behavioral approach to help you break free from the nine most common negative thinking habits that typically result in feeling sad, worried, angry, and stressed. This workbook offers a powerful technique called cognitive restructuring to help you reframe your thoughts, regulate your emotions, become a more flexible thinker, and stop letting your thoughts define who you are and how you feel. You’ll learn to target the nine specific kinds of negative thinking habits that can cause you to worry or feel bad, such as the I can’t habit, the doom and gloom habit, the all or nothing habit, the jumping to conclusions habit, and more! Each chapter will walk you through simple explanations of each kind of negative thought, and offers real-life examples—as well as the sorts of behaviors, emotions, and bodily sensations that might be expected. You'll also gain an understanding of unhelpful or unrealistic thoughts, how to challenge them, how to replace them with more realistic and helpful thoughts, and an action plan for moving forward. By recognizing these negative thinking habits, you’ll feel more in control and less anxious and sad. Most importantly, you’ll be able to see yourself and the world more clearly. Your thoughts don’t have to define who you are and how you experience life. The transdiagnostic approach in this book will show you how to kick negative thinking habits to the curb for good!

This book has been selected as an Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Book Recommendation —an honor bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Parenting, Self Help

168 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2017

Reviews

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors use cognitive behavior therapy principles and techniques to explore nine patterns for negative self-talk. The workbook focuses on teen habits, self-reflections, and control. They provided definitions, examples, activities, questions and reality checks used to work through and repel negative thinking habits. An appendix of challenge questions and resources is included. Readers, whether teenagers or not, will get out of the book what they invest into it. It is hands on fill in the blank practice, not cerebral read and learn.

I was randomly chosen through a Goodreads Giveaway to receive this book free from the publisher. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very helpful in breaking up and redirecting negative, habitual thought patterns. The examples used focus on situations teens mostly face but I found the lessons and practice challenges in the workbook relevant and useful.

[Michelle Olms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great practical workbook. Loved the questions to challenge negative thinking.

[Angie Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book has examples that are more relevant to teens, the information about negative thinking is 100% relevant for anybody that falls into negativity.

[Julise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most critical part to see thing and think thing positive is to ask self different questions from different perspectives.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simple but so helpful. I appreciated it’s direct approach and found it very relatable and easy to apply, even though it was written for teens.