Don't Believe Everything You Feel: A CBT Workbook to Identify Your Emotional Schemas and Find Freedom from Anxiety and Depression

I am one third of the way, reading and doing every exercise. This book is a clear, self-explanatory guide on how to deal with feelings people don't want, like fear, envy, anger, sadness, confusion, ambivalence and more. Leahy says you can have feelings about feelings : like being ashamed to feel fear, which can lead to low self-esteem, since every normal person feels fear. You can also have thoughts about your emotions, like being afraid to feel fear, which leads to avoidance, one of the precursors to depression. If had known all this book does before I bought it, I would have thought I would not be able to learn these skills. But doing the exercises in order is really empowering. It appeals to me because it addresses feelings in a totally logical, step-by-step, do it yourself without having to go to a therapist program. There may be some people that want to enhance their lives with therapy in addition to the book, but it may be hard to find one that uses Schema Therapy. However, this book can be used in addition to any therapy that your mental health professional may use. This is like having Leahy as your therapist 24 hour available, without having to travel to get improvements in your life. I am glad that an academic researcher would be willing to write this book for the layperson, since I have heard that academicians that write self-help are looked down on. I am getting relief from the pain of feeling that I haven't accomplished by now certain goals I am set on, while getting more healthy coping skills I can use towards those goals. I am being kinder to myself. For example, I did not know that it is ok, even healthy, to have conflicting feelings about people and events. I would ruminate and look down on myself because I thought ambivalent feelings are a sign of a personal flaw. I have read some good books about fear, as well as many ineffective books. But this book is full of new, useful skills.

In one of the pages, the author says the following:"Would you say, 'I feel irritated. Is it true that I feel irritated?' Of course you feel irritated. There’s no question about it. When you have a feeling, your body is telling you the truth."But, the title of the book says "Don't believe everything you feel."In my opinion, this is in direct contradiction to his quote that whatever emotion you are feeling, it is true for you. So, I am supposed to believe what I feel right?Unless, "Don't believe everything you feel .. is permanent"Other than this, it is a great book.

In college a school counselor introduced me to Albert Ellis when I came to her because of performance anxiety for an audition for the campus jazz band. His ideas greatly helped me through life but seems a little dated & hard to read.I bought this book because of a friend whose thoughts seem to maneuver her to feeling badly again & again. Some of the concepts in this book are similar what I had learned from Albert Ellis but goes much deeper.I can only highly recommend! I haven't read but a chapter or two but it has moved me a lot so far!

I love that as somebody who struggles with my emotions and how to identify and explain that this book really helps identify the negative coping skills we use.its been so helpful on my path to a better me

This book is in no shortage of intelligent, practical insights into our emotions and how to better regulate/manage/cooperate with them. This is definitely a good book to read.