The User's Guide to the Human Mind: Why Our Brains Make Us Unhappy, Anxious, and Neurotic and What We Can Do about It

Description

Acknowledgments; Introduction; What This Book Is About; Part 1; The Worry Machine; Chapter 1; Protection at a Price; Luke's Struggle; My Mind, My Bodyguard; The Argument Trap; The Paradox of Thought Suppression; Chapter 2; A Day in the Life of a Mind; What Is the Mind?; Why the Mind Worries; How the Mind Speaks; Anxiety and Depression: Ancient Tools for Modern Times; The Mind Is Always Rational, from a Certain Point of View; Chapter 3; Letting the Mind Do Its Job; From the Mind's Point of View, Survival Matters Most; Thoughts Are Not Facts; Observing Your Thoughts; Observing Your Emotions.;Your mind is not built to make you happy; it's built to help you survive. So far, it's done a great job! But in the process, it may have developed some bad habits, like avoiding new experiences or scrounging around for problems where none exist. Is it any wonder that worry, bad moods, and self-critical thoughts so often get in the way of enjoying life? Based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), The User's Guide to the Human Mind is a road map to the puzzling inner workings of the human mind, replete with exercises for overriding the mind's natural impulses toward.