Caregivers' Book Helps Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Guilt

Connie Chow recommends a book designed to help caregivers better understand and feel better as they care for seniors. The book is available online, reviewed by GoodReads, and available at many public libraries. Caregivers struggle with negative thoughts Anxiety, guilt, low self-esteem, anger, and depression. Almost everyone who cares for an older adult deals with these types of strong negative feelings. How do you cope with stress and dig yourself out of these emotional black holes? We found a book that can help. It’s called Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, by David D. Burns, M.D. and is a bestseller on Amazon. What is this book about? Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy is a book about depression, but don’t let that word put you off. It teaches an effective way of coping with all kinds of negative feelings, not just depression. The book is based on cognitive therapy. It’s a fast-acting and proven way to learn to modify your mood by noticing your thoughts. Cognitive therapy can help you eliminate symptoms, minimize future upsets, and cope with negative situations more effectively. What do real people say about this book? We read through hundreds of Amazon reviews to find out what real people were saying about this book. Here’s a quick summary of what we discovered. Positive comments

• Clear and easy to understand
• It really works for a lot of people -- we saw lots of “life changing,” “highly recommend,” and “saved my life” comments
• Concrete, practical exercises
• Positive and friendly tone
• Great supplement to therapy and/or medication

Critical comments

• Long - Can be overwhelming
• Doesn’t work for everyone
• Font could be larger, though it seems the “white” version (paperback) is easier to read than the “yellow” version (mass market paperback)

Quotes from actual Amazon customer reviews

• “It helps retrain your brain to help with depression and anxiety. I still have hard days and may always have them. But this book has given me to the tools to cope with my struggles.”
• “This is not a cheesy book about finding yourself or anything like that. It is based off of scientific methodologies that are used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It is not always easy to find a CBT therapist so this book can be a great alternative in my opinion….I have learned some tools that have changed how I think.”

This doctor knows what he’s talking about This book was written by someone who has done extensive research. Dr. Burns is a clinical psychiatrist with an impressive background from schools like University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and Stanford. He’s also received awards for his research and teaching. He’s currently Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he does research and teaches. Bottom line Based on the many positive reviews, this book is definitely worth a try. For many, reading just a few chapters helped them see the world differently and made them feel better already. Or, like one reviewer suggested, if you’re looking for less reading and more concrete exercises, try Dr. Burns’ The Feeling Good Handbook. No matter what, these books are inexpensive and gives you powerful tools to lift your mood and snap you out of that negative cycle. Wouldn’t it be great to feel a little better, happier, or lighter? Next Step > Get Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by Dr. David Burns By Connie Chow, Contributing Writer and Founder of DailyCaringImage: What Was I Thinking