Lift Your Mood Now: Simple Things You Can Do to Beat the Blues - Softcover

The extraordinary fact is that one out of every five of us will suffer a serious bout of depression during our lifetime. And when depression hits, the energy you need to get back on track often disappears. You want to return to your old life ASAP, and complicated theories and long-term strategies just don't seem viable. What's wanted is clear, simple suggestions that you let you take small steps forward, in manageable increments. The good news is that all the tools anyone needs to get well quick are now available in one compact package. In The Depression Companion, psychologist and author John Preston has distilled the best of the best clinical advice into simple exercises to help readers change a pessimistic perspective and lift their moods. All of the exercises are designed so that they can be read in five minutes or less and put in practice right away. Throughout, Preston encourages readers to adopt an action-oriented strategy to speed the process of their recovery. Can-do techniques focus on helping readers raise their self-esteem, control negative thinking, reduce anxiety, learn to separate legitimate suffering from self-hatred, and overcome the apathy that can keep them in depressive cycles. Also included is a useful checklist that lets readers determine if they need professional treatment and to rule out a medical cause for their depression.