Mood Repair Toolkit: Proven Strategies to Prevent the Blues from Turning into Depression

If you have trouble bouncing back from low moods or just feel stuck in the doldrums much of the time, renowned cognitive behaviour therapist David A. Clark has a clear message: there are simple yet powerful steps you can take to feel better. This encouraging book presents 80 strategies you can use to reduce sadness, promote positive feelings of contentment and joy, and decrease your risk for full-blown depression. Vivid stories and concrete examples help you learn specific methods for:

• Nipping negativity in the bud.
• Making unhappiness less overwhelming.
• Defusing self-criticism and rumination.
• Boosting your energy and motivation for change.
• Feeling more confident and hopeful every day.

Using the practical tools in the book; forms, worksheets, and self-assessment quizzes; makes it easy to create and stick to a mood repair action plan. You can download and print additional copies of these tools as needed. The strategies that Dr. Clark provides are grounded in cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology research: and they work. Discover proven ways to start living a more satisfying and productive life.

Table of Contents

1. Harness Your Unhappiness
2. Go with the Flow
3. Trap Your “Tigers”
4. Silence the Inner Critic
5. Take Time to Recharge
6. Stop the Mental Treadmill
7. Capture the Moment
8. Ponder the Past
9. Embrace Your Dreams
10. Make Connections
11. Express Kindness and Compassion
12. Get Active, Stay Fit, and Be Well
13. Face Your Dread
14. Sing in the Rain
15. Take the Long View

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"Dr. Clark has written a clear and straightforward guide to repairing mood and avoiding depression. Drawing on the best current science, this book takes you on a journey to enhanced self-understanding, joy, and fulfillment. You'll learn practical skills and new ways of thinking and feeling that will be helpful for a lifetime."
- Nikolaos Kazantzis, PhD, Founder and Director, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Research Unit, La Trobe University, Australia

"Dr. Clark is an international figure in the field of cognitive therapy. This book brings the latest science and therapeutic wisdom to guide you to help yourself when dark moods threaten to overwhelm you. It is full of practical, trustworthy strategies you can begin to use today. I thoroughly recommend it."
- Mark Williams, DPhil, coauthor of The Mindful Way Workbook