This Is the Only Book that Helped My Anxiety

Feeling Good, literally

Photo by Hybrid on Unsplash

I have anxiety, and it has always been difficult to treat. I tried an antidepressant, which helped a lot, but wasn’t a cure. And due to my busy schedule, making it to therapy sessions is tough.

I was discussing my progress with my primary care provider recently. Since my anxiety tends to be generalized, therapy hasn’t always helped. I can get stressed out about pretty much anything, which makes it hard to treat with counseling. If someone has more specific anxiety, such as one linked to a phobia or a life event, it’s easier to work on.

Then someone recommended the book Feeling Good by David Burns.

Let me just say, I have read a lot of books on anxiety. In my opinion, none were helpful — until I read this one. Dr. Burns is a psychiatrist who believes that our thoughts can help create, or remove, sad feelings.

One example in the book that helped me was about a student studying to be a psychiatrist. He received negative feedback from a patient, and thought he was a failure and would be asked to leave the program. Most of us have been in a similar, lousy situation, and probably thought the same thing.

But one negative comment, although it may be painful to hear, shouldn’t make us think it’s the end of the…