Managing Your Mind The Mental Fitness Guide

by Butler, Gillian; Hope, Tony

• ISBN13: 9780195314533
• ISBN10: 0195314530
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-03-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Originally published in 1995, the first edition of Managing Your Mind established a unique place in the self-help book market. A blend of tried-and-true psychological counseling and no-nonsense management advice grounded in the principles of CBTand other psychological treatments, the book straddled two types of self-help literature, arguing that in one's personal and professional life, the way to success is the same. By adopting the practical strategies that mental health experts Butler and Hope have developed over years of clinical research and practice, one can develop the "mental fitness" necessary to resolve one's personal and interpersonal challenges at home and work and to live a productive, satisfying life. The first edition addressed how to develop key skills to mental fitness (e.g., managing one's time better, facing and solving problems better, keeping things in perspective, learning to relax, etc.), how to improve one's relationships, how to beat anxiety and depression, and how to establish a good mind-body balance. For this new edition, Butler and Hope have updated all preexisting material and have added five new chapters-on sexuality and intimate relationships; anger in relationships; recent traumatic events and their aftermath; loss and bereavement; and dealing with the past.

Table of Contents

Introduction

What to Expect from this Guide

The Scientific Background

Two Principles of Underlying Mental Fitness

Valuing Yourself

Recognizing That You Can Change

The Seven Basic Skills

Managing Yourself and Your Time

Facing the Problem

Treating Yourself Right

Problem-Solving: A Strategy for Change

Keeping Things in Perspective: Help from Cognitive Therapy

Building Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem

Learning to Relax

How to Improve Your Relationships

The Importance of Relationships

The First Key to Good Relationships: Being Fair to Yourself and Others

The Second Key to Good Relationships: Recognizing Voices from the Past

The Third Key to Good Relationships: Relationships as Systems

Anger in Relationships (new)

Sexuality and Intimate Relationships (new)

The Twin Enemies of Good MoodAnxiety

Getting the Better of Anxiety and Worry, or Defeating the Alarmist

Overcoming Fears and Phobias

Stress: How to Live with the Right Amount of It

Dealing with Panic: Controlling the Alarm SystemDepression

Depression-The Common Cold of the Mind

Digging Yourself Out of Depression

How to Become Less Vulnerable to Depression

Traumatic Experience (all new chapters)

Loss and Bereavement

Dealing with the Past

Recent Traumatic Events and Their After

Mind and Body

Breaking Habits and Stopping Smoking

Averting Problems with Alcohol

Overcoming Sleep Problems

Good Eating Habits

The Working Mind

The Fundamentals of Effective Study

Key Study Skills: Reading, Taking Notes, and Using the Material

How to Improve Your Memory

The Palest Ink and Other External Memory Aids

How to Improve Your Memory

Internal Memory Aids

Making Decisions

Thinking Straight

Notes

Further Reading

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.