Originally published in 1995, the first edition of Managing Your Mind established a unique place in the self-help book market. A blend of tried-and-true psychological counseling and no-nonsense management advice grounded in the principles of CBTand other psychological treatments, the book straddled two types of self-help literature, arguing that in one's personal and professional life, the way to success is the same. By adopting the practical strategies that mental health experts Butler and Hope have developed over years of clinical research and practice, one can develop the "mental fitness" necessary to resolve one's personal and interpersonal challenges at home and work and to live a productive, satisfying life.
The first edition addressed how to develop key skills to mental fitness (e.g., managing one's time better, facing and solving problems better, keeping things in perspective, learning to relax, etc.), how to improve one's relationships, how to beat anxiety and depression, and how to establish a good mind-body balance. For this new edition, Butler and Hope have updated all preexisting material and have added five new chapters-on sexuality and intimate relationships; anger in relationships; recent traumatic events and their aftermath; loss and bereavement; and dealing with the past.

Everyone feels foolish, embarrassed, judged or criticised at times, but this becomes a problem when it undermines your confidence and prevents you from doing what you want to do. Extreme social anxiety and shyness can be crippling but they are readily treated using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). In this fully revised and updated edition, Dr Gillian Butler provides a practical, easy-to-use self-help course which will be invaluable for those suffering from all degrees of social anxiety. Overcoming self-help guides use effective therapeutic techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended under the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme.

Manage Your Mind is a book for building resilience, overcoming emotional difficulties and enabling self-development. It is for any of us who wish to understand ourselves better, to be more effective in day-to-day life, or to overcome current problems; or who want to support others in these tasks. The authors have, between them, almost 100 years of experience of helping people through difficult times. This experience, together with the results from scientific research, leads to Manage Your Mind distilling effective techniques and ideas so that readers can select those that suit their preferences and needs. The book explains and illustrates how to respond skilfully to life's challenges. The first part of the book helps us gain a better understanding of ourselves and provides tools for clarifying what we most value in life. It highlights the benefits of the practice of acceptance and kindness, and shows how to build self-esteem and self-confidence. The second part of the book presents practical tools and methods for making our way in the world that are relevant to everyone. This includes the importance of perspective and how we can best use our thinking skills. It also covers everyday topics such as the value of useful habits, time management, looking after our physical health, and increasing happiness, well-being and creativity. The final section focuses on how to develop and maintain good relationships. The third part of the book provides evidence-based approaches to overcoming specific emotional difficulties, such as worry, panic, low mood, anger, addictions, and coping with trauma, loss and chronic ill health. With well over 200,000 copies sold, Manage Your Mind remains the definitive self-help guide for anyone seeking to lead a more fulfilling and productive life.

Psychology is part of everyone's experience: it influences the way we think about everything from education and intelligence, to relationships and emotions, advertising and criminality. People readily behave as amateur psychologists, offering explanations for what people think, feel, and do. But what exactly are psychologists trying to do? What scientific grounding do they have for their approach? This Very Short Introduction explores some of psychology's leading ideas and their practical relevance. In this new edition, Gillian Butler and Freda McManus explore a variety of new topics and ways of studying the brain. Until recently it was not possible to study the living human brain directly, so psychologists studied our behaviour, and used their observations to derive hypotheses about what was going on inside. Now - through neuroscience - our knowledge of the workings of the brain has increased and improved technology provides us with a scientific basis on which to understand the structure and workings of the brain, and allows brain activity to be observed and measured. Exploring some of the most important advances and developments in psychology - from evolutionary psychology and issues surrounding adolescence and aggression to cognitive psychology - this is a stimulating introduction for anyone interested in understanding the human mind. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Managing Your Mind is a book for building resilience, overcoming emotional difficulties and enabling self-development. It is for any of us who wish to understand ourselves better, to be more effective in day-to-day life, to overcome current problems; or who want to support others in these tasks. The authors have between them almost 100 years of experience helping people respond skillfully to life's challenges. Drawing on this experience as well as on cutting-edge scientific research, Managing Your Mind distills effective techniques and ideas, enabling readers to select those that suit their preferences and needs. Part One of the book helps us gain a better understanding of ourselves and provides tools for clarifying what we value most in life. It highlights the benefits of the practice of acceptance and kindness, and shows how to build self-esteem and self-confidence. Part Two presents practical tools and methods, relevant to everyone, for making our way in the world. This includes the importance of perspective and how we can best use our thinking skills. It also covers everyday topics such as the value of useful habits, time management, looking after our physical health, increasing happiness, well-being and creativity, and developing and maintaining good relationships. The third part of the book provides scientifically-tested approaches to overcoming specific emotional difficulties, such as worry, panic, low mood, anger, addictions, and coping with trauma, loss and chronic ill health. With well over 150,000 copies in print, Managing Your Mind remains the definitive self-help guide for anyone seeking to lead a more fulfilling and productive life.

Helping therapists bring about enduring change when treating clients with any anxiety disorder, this invaluable book combines expert guidance, in-depth exploration, and innovative clinical strategies. The authors draw on extensive experience and research to provide a framework for constructing lucid formulations of complex cases. They identify obstacles that frequently arise during the early, middle, and later stages of treatment and present a wide range of practical solutions. The volume demonstrates clear-cut yet flexible ways to enhance client engagement, foster metacognitive awareness, facilitate emotional processing, address low self-esteem and fear of uncertainty, and much more. Reproducible handouts and forms are included.

Behavioural experiments are one of the central and most powerful methods of intervention in cognitive therapy. Yet until now, there has been no volume specifically dedicated to guiding physicians who wish to design and implement behavioural experiments across a wide range of clinical problems. The Oxford Guide to Behavioural Experiments in Cognitive Therapy fills this gap. It is written by clinicians for clinicians. It is a practical, easy to read handbook, which is relevant for practising clinicians at every level, from trainees to cognitive therapy supervisors. Following a foreword by David Clark, the first two chapters provide a theoretical and practical background for the understanding and development of behavioural experiments. Thereafter, the remaining chapters of the book focus on particular problem areas. These include problems which have been the traditional focus of cognitive therapy (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders), as well as those which have only more recently become a subject of study (bipolar disorder, psychotic symptoms), and some which are still in their relative infancy (physical health problems, brain injury). The book also includes several chapters on transdiagnostic problems, such as avoidance of affect, low self-esteem, interpersonal issues, and self-injurious behaviour. A final chapter by Christine Padesky provides some signposts for future development. Containing examples of over 200 behavioural experiments, this book will be of enormous practical value for all those involved in cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as stimulating exploration and creativity in both its readers and their patients.