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Beating the Blues: a Self-help Approach to Overcoming Depression: a Self-help Approach to Overcoming Depression
'Beating the Blues' introduces a step-by-step program for overcoming depression, enabling you the break the lethargy circuit and conquer feelings of hopelessness, persistent bouts of jealousy, loneliness and the suicidal impulse. The authors offer strategies for shedding 'faulty thinking habits.'Using questionnaires, self-tests and case studies from their own work they demonstrate that you can control what you think and therefore how you feel. There is a special chapters for families, 'How to live with someone who is depressed,' and advice on seeking professional help. This book reveals how we can all turn our moods around and use them to change our lives for the better.
174 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 20, 2020
Not sure how much of this I read back in 1996, but I did some of the exercise work at the time, with quite cute mind maps under the following headings.
Common Faulty Thinking Habits:
1. Black or White – All or Nothing.
Reverse it by:
Developing open-mindedness – allow of possibilities rather than definites. May instead of Will.
2. Setting Unrealistic Expectations – fixed rules.
3. Selective Thinking – Pessimism. Looking on the dark side.
4. Turning Positives to Negatives. Being a cynic
5. Overgeneralizing – ‘Here we go again.’
6. Magnifying Unpleasantness – mountains out of molehills.
7. Catastrophizing – whatever will go wrong will go wrong in a big way.
8. Personalising – it’s my fault.
9. Mistaking feelings for facts – ‘I feel therefore I am.’
10. Jumping to Negative Conclusions.
Common Faulty Thinking Habits:
1. Black or White – All or Nothing.
Reverse it by:
Developing open-mindedness – allow of possibilities rather than definites. May instead of Will.
2. Setting Unrealistic Expectations – fixed rules.
3. Selective Thinking – Pessimism. Looking on the dark side.
4. Turning Positives to Negatives. Being a cynic
5. Overgeneralizing – ‘Here we go again.’
6. Magnifying Unpleasantness – mountains out of molehills.
7. Catastrophizing – whatever will go wrong will go wrong in a big way.
8. Personalising – it’s my fault.
9. Mistaking feelings for facts – ‘I feel therefore I am.’
10. Jumping to Negative Conclusions.
April 13, 2014
I found this book on one of the shelves at work a couple of years ago (Swedish edition). Of course I did not read it back then. Have I ever read a self-help book when I really need to? Reading a book like this when suffering from depression just... it takes too much energy.
The book would probably be perfekt for people who are feeling blue every now and then, but people who are really depressed? I don't think just reading a book will do the trick, no matter how good the tricks in it are. At least I got help from people. I have been off my antidepressants since the end of last year and I feel pretty stable. So in those terms, this book was perfekt for me. I read it when I could think clearly and should I ever feel a little blue, I could probably remember a few techniques from the book.
One thing made me so annoyed. The edition I had (the swedish one) is relatively new. This is an old book. Why on earth print the text like it has been written on a type writer? It made my eyes bleed. Or all the statistics, how about a little update? And the recommendations of further reading, all books from the 80's. It's a NEW edition - UPDATE!
I also liked the "tough love" that appeared now and then.
All in all, are you feeling down now and again or have a person near you that suffers from it, I'd recommend the book. If you are really really down, even depressed, I would not expect the book to magically fix everything, but if you have the energy, I say at least give it at try.
The book would probably be perfekt for people who are feeling blue every now and then, but people who are really depressed? I don't think just reading a book will do the trick, no matter how good the tricks in it are. At least I got help from people. I have been off my antidepressants since the end of last year and I feel pretty stable. So in those terms, this book was perfekt for me. I read it when I could think clearly and should I ever feel a little blue, I could probably remember a few techniques from the book.
One thing made me so annoyed. The edition I had (the swedish one) is relatively new. This is an old book. Why on earth print the text like it has been written on a type writer? It made my eyes bleed. Or all the statistics, how about a little update? And the recommendations of further reading, all books from the 80's. It's a NEW edition - UPDATE!
I also liked the "tough love" that appeared now and then.
All in all, are you feeling down now and again or have a person near you that suffers from it, I'd recommend the book. If you are really really down, even depressed, I would not expect the book to magically fix everything, but if you have the energy, I say at least give it at try.
November 29, 2009
after reading several self help / anti depression kinda books, this one is just the same as the others.
unfortunately it presents no really new ideas, and feels like drudgery to get through when you feel like you know what's coming next... and you're right!
i wouldnt bother recommending it unless you've read no other self help books.
unfortunately it presents no really new ideas, and feels like drudgery to get through when you feel like you know what's coming next... and you're right!
i wouldnt bother recommending it unless you've read no other self help books.
August 25, 2017
Concise and matter-of-fact, a bit slow on the upstart but doesn't suffer from it due to the fact that you can jump between sections as needed to find the relevant paragraphs. Clear and intelligent analysis throughout the entire book.
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March 23, 2009Usually books about mental health are serius and you can feel more depressed after reading them, but I both laughed and cried while reading this book.
June 5, 2015
A self-help book that focus on how to get out of a depression by changing your thoughtpatterns.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews