book review: you are not your brain

(♥)

 

"Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity." 

Saint Augustine

 

 

Everyone has habits. Everyone has bad habits. Some of us want to change them, some of us won't admit to them, and some of us don't care about undoing them. For those who are interested in taking some of their bad habits and kicking them to the curb, I recently read a great book to help you out. You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life, by Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D., and Rebecca Gladding, M.D., is one of those books that takes something that seems impossible -- getting rid of a habit -- and turns it into something you can actually manage on your own.  

Usually books with the word "brain" in them scare me. I'm not into science. Diagrams. Charts. However, I found the content in this one to be really obtainable and interesting. The charts and images actually helped me understand some of the more abstract concepts and the pages with worksheets were an invaluable resource for someone like me. Not only could I learn a lot from the content, but I was given the chance to make it actionable by using the worksheets provided in each section. The book provided a place for me to work out my own issues as I read through it rather than just vaguely thinking of how the concepts could apply to me. 

I learned a lot from reading the book, but most importantly I learned about the four steps that have really changed how I view my habits. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone -- and especially to someone who is struggling to conquer a bad habit of any kind. It's information, eye-opening, and, above all, very interesting. You'll learn not only about your brain and how it works it terms of its habit-forming capabilities, but you'll also learn a lot about yourself from reading the book. Check out a bit about the four steps this book focuses on below.

 

4 Steps for Breaking Bad Habits

Step 1: Relabel: Identify your deceptive brain messages and the uncomfortable sensations; call them what they really are. 

Step 2: Reframe:  Change your perception of the importance of the deceptive brain messages; say why these thoughts, urges, and impulses keep bothering you: they are false brain messages. 

Step 3: Refocus: Direct your attention toward an activity or mental process that is wholesome and productive -- even while the deceptive brain messages are still bothering you. 

Step 4: Revalue: Clearly see the thoughts, images, and impulses for what they are -- simply sensations caused by deceptive brain messages that aren't true and have little to no value. 

 

In the book, these four steps are explored and explained in great detail -- with worksheets incorporated throughout the book to help you apply these steps to your own life. As stated in the book's introduction, using these four steps will allow you to "finally see who you really are -- not who your brain has been telling you that you are are -- and put your true self in the driver's seat for the rest of your life." That might sound a bit dramatic, but once you read the book, you'll see that you're really letting your brain control you in a way that is often unhealthy. Once you take control of what your brain is doing, you can be in the driver's seat when it comes to your habits. You become the one steering your life into a positive direction. 

If you're at all trying to break a habit,  You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life is the book for you. It's one of those books that makes you really think about your choices and realize that there is so much more going on in your brain than you realize. If you want to make the most of the life you're living, one of the best ways to do so is to develop positive, healthy habits. If you're struggling to do this, check this book out. And if you're overwhelmed by any unhealthy, negative habits in your life, this is also worth a read. Whether it's negative habits you want to break or positive habits you want to establish, the book really does offer a wonderful four-step solution that, if you put into practice, can help you change any bad habit plaguing your life. 

 

This book offers a great 4-step solution to changing bad habits, 
but I'd love to know what you've done to change your habits.
Any advice on how to get rid of a negative habit
or create a positive habit?  

 

Comments

[Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours]

I'm so glad you found the book to be helpful and readable. Thanks for being on the tour! I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.

[positively present]

Heather - You're welcome! It was great to check out the book and share my thoughts about it with my readers. Thanks for featuring the post on the TLC Facebook page.

[GourmetOnADiet]

I definitely agree that breaking the habit first requires discovering the messages behind and underneath it. Which can be very complex and daunting, but as someone who also appreciates the help of a good therapist, I can say it's well worth the work put in! Clearly I am going backwards reading your posts, but I firmly believe in "Better late than never" — so I have some catching up to do, but congrats on your year of sobriety. Amazing.

[positively present]

Gourmet - Thanks so much for reading! I'm a firm believer of better late than never. Thank you so much for your congratulatory wishes. It means a lot to me!