Anybody have any luck with CBT (cognitive behavioral theory) and David Burns “Feeling Good” book?
I am a 24 year old man and I have been experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms for a few years now. I have been seeing a thearpist for 2 years, have been on and off meds (currently off them), excersice all the time to reduce stress, but I still have major life obstructing problems with depression and anxiety/ panic attacks. I am always open to trying new things so would like to ask people who have given Burns’ book “Feeling Good Mood Therapy” a serious effort:
-what symptoms did you experience beforehand?
-how long did it take to feel better?
-how much work did you put into it everyday and week?
-were you on or off meds at the time? what else helped you along?
-do your symptoms ever come back?
-how long after using the book have you felt “good?”
Thank you so much ! I’m so ready to defeat this stupid mental crap I go through everyday!
That is a great book! He has a newer version of it called “When Panic Attacks” which is essentially the same as Feeling Good, but updated and more useable. I would suggest reading either one. Also consider getting “The Feeling Good Handbook” which helps you to put these tools into practice. Great stuff that, if you apply it regularly, can produce positive results very fast.
I suggest spending 15-30 minutes per day journaling and do the various exercises from the books you feel apply to your particular issues. Meds can be a helpful adjunct, but finding the right one and the right dose for you can be challenging. A good psychiatrist comes in handy, or even a good family physician. The things you learn in the book can lead to permanent changes, but you have to the work. There is nothing magical about reading the book or being in therapy, these are tools you have to use yourself each day.
FEELING GOOD FEELS WONDERFULThe good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other “black holes” of depression can be cured without drugs.In FEELING GOOD, eminent psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life. Now, in this up…
Are you plagued by fears, phobias, or panic attacks? Do you toss and turn at night with a knot in your stomach, worrying about your job, your family, work, your health, or relationships? Do you suffer from crippling shyness, obsessive doubts, or feelings of insecurity?What you may not realize is that these fears are almost never based on reality. Anxiety is one of the world’s oldest cons. When y…
Natural Cure For Anxiety: Hobbies And Leisure Time
Your resume and CV would have one sub-point reserved for ‘Hobbies’. Have you wondered why? Hobbies would often tell the employer what type of a person you are – happy, creative, intense, extrovert, introvert and so on; it would also indicate whether you allow creativity a free hand – a thing that is extremely important in personal and professional growth no matter what field you choose for yourself.
The founder of modern psychiatry, Sigmund Freud had pointed that mental disorders are more often than not the result of unrealized and un-integrated (with life) creativity. People who are normally forced into “successful” and demanding professions often choose to give up their hobbies or leisure time in order to further their career. The demands on their time being such, they rather take rest than indulge in their hobbies whenever a window of free time emerges. When there is no more time for fun, in walks anxiety uninvited and unwanted; and that is always bad news.
Leading psychiatrists are of the opinion that hobbies and leisure time occupations such as watching TV, gossiping with neighbors, walking in a park, learning a new language and so on, actually help your mind and body to de-stress. The process is simple – when you do something you love, your mind would shut off the problems that worry you and revel in the pleasure generated by the activity you enjoy. When your mind is off problems, your body relaxes and your mind is able to think with more clarity. This means you short-circuit an impending anxiety attack and are very likely to find a solution to your problems. Isn’t that called a win-win situation?
Some people know what gives them pleasure to do – and cultivate this activity as a hobby or leisure time occupation. What about people who are undecided about what they would really like to do? If you are surprised at this, don’t. There are many people out there who have never thought about it hard enough to identify what they would like to do for pleasure. Well, finding out is easy. Ask yourself this question, ‘If I had all the money in the world and did not have to work for a living, what work would give me the most pleasure?’ Do not look for one answer – because there would be many swimming in your mind and if you are looking for one answer you would be disappointed enough to stop searching.
Make a list of all the possibilities that pop up in your mind. Stop when you reach at reach at 20. Keep the list where you can see it every day. Give yourself a month to identify what you love to do. In the meantime, take out the list everyday and add or delete suggestions from it, aiming to narrow it down to 10 favorite activities – if you can reduce to less it would be even better. Once you have a list of 10 items prioritize these in order of your preference, the best one first. Now, the list would be do-able. Establish a time at least once a week where you would take up one or more of the activities on your list. Keep doing this until you identify what gives you the most pleasure among them all. Please keep in mind that you could choose more than one hobby.
Here are some examples of creative and fun-filled hobbies:
16. Singing/ playing an instrument/ learning to sing or play an instrument
17. Woodworking/ carpentry
18. Mechanic work/ working on cars, motorcycles
19. Horse riding
20. Training animals
These are only a handful of things you could do. The list is endless. You need to allow yourself enough time to identify the one or two activities that give you the most pleasure. Once you found it out, pour in all efforts to make it a full-time hobby. Ensure that every weekend you have a couple of hours reserved for your ‘battery re-charging time’ when you indulge in your pleasure.
You will find that as you channel your creativity into the chosen hobby(ies) you would feel more relaxed, tolerant of your mistakes and those of others, slower to anger and worry, and more productive. This is because when you are happy, your brain actually works more effectively. As you cannot cry and laugh at the same time, so you would not be able to feel anxious and relaxed at the same time. As your hobby would take root and you discover yourself through it, you would find that your anxiety or panic attacks become lesser and lesser both in intensity and number.
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Aristine Lowell is an eleventh generation descendent of the Lowells of New England as documented by her grandfather, Rev. Delmar R. Lowell who wrote The Historic Geneaology of The Lowells of America, from 1639 to 1899, and is cited as the definitive reference work on the history of the Lowells.James Russell Lowell wrote, in a handwritten letter to Rev. Lowell:”Elmwood, 12th July, 1895, That you an…
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DescriptionThis is the second half of Simpson’s two part collection. This heartfelt collection of poetry is creative and quirky, often turning both our expectations and the language itself on its head. Although many of the poems deal with difficult questions and feelings there are also many witty moments, as well as a fair share of laugh out loud ones. About the AuthorSimpson describes herself as …
Many women go from gym to gym hoping to feel comfortable working out. They often worry about wearing the right clothes and shoes or if they are doing the workout correctly. They walk in and see the big, muscular men lifting 200 pound dumbbells and feel foolish lifting a five pound weight thinking they look like a weakling.
There is no need to feel self-conscious as a female at the gym. It can be pretty daunting walking into the gym for the first time and seeing all sorts of machines. It reminds me of a comedy routine by Brian Regan about health clubs. He talks about going to the gym for the first time. Being led on a tour by an employee who is pointing out all sorts of machines, and he even shows you how to use a few of them but you don’t remember how when it comes time to use it. Then he talks about getting into a machine wrong. He puts his arms and legs where he thinks they go and starts moving them around. Then a guy comes up to him and asks him to get out of the painters scaffolding.
Have any of you had this experience and suddenly are self-conscious at the gym? Many women who feel self-conscious don’t get a good workout because they are afraid of doing something wrong. If you ever have questions about how to use a machine just ask one of the personal trainers. They love to help their members get the most out of a workout. Also because they are afraid of doing something wrong or using the “painter’s scaffolding” they head straight for the treadmill or elliptical and think that is all they need. The only problem is they don’t see any results.
In order to get results, women should also add weight training to their workout routine. Women should build lean muscle by lifting low amount of weight. When you build lean muscle it burns more calories than just doing a cardio workout alone. It is a myth that lifting weights will make a women look masculine. Women can’t build this type of muscle because they don’t have naturally high levels of testosterone like men do. Lifting weights increase your muscle and bone strength, while helping to prevent joint injury and osteoporosis. Adding weight training to your workout routine will give you a lean and shapely look.
Women also often feel reluctant about using supplements to augment their training regimen. They are afraid the supplements will make them bulky or add weight instead of help take the weight off. Using a whey protein isolate supplement can help with the weight loss process. It is a dairy based protein that is easier to digest. A whey protein isolate also is 90% protein, so it doesn’t give you the added carbohydrates and calories the other proteins give. Taking in additional protein in your diet will help you build the lean muscle that gives you a trim, lean look.
However, if you still feel self-conscious using the weight lifting machines or the free weights many gyms have a women’s only section that has the same machines as the main areas. Lately, there has been a rise in creating women only gyms and offering a women only time during the day.
Don’t worry that you don’t have a trim looking body yet. But with weight training and using supplements, you soon will have that lean body.
This digital document is a journal article from Body Image, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Description: This study examined sex differences in body image change and its correlates over the course of a 12-week strength-training program. Participants …
