Table of Contents

Preface     v
Introduction     1
What to Expect from This Guide     3
The Scientific Background     8
Two Principles Underlying Mental Fitness     13
Valuing Yourself     15
Recognizing That You Can Change     20
The Seven Basic Skills     29
Managing Yourself and Your Time     31
Facing the Problem     45
Treating Yourself Right     52
Problem-Solving: A Strategy for Change     61
Keeping Things in Perspective: Help from Cognitive Therapy     71
Building Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem     89
Learning How to Relax     104
How to Improve Your Relationships     117
The Importance of Relationships     119
The First Key to Good Relationships: Be Fair to Yourself and to Others     127
The Second Key to Good Relationships: Recognizing Voices from the Past     144
The Third Key to Good Relationships: Relationships as Systems     158
Anger in Relationships     170
Sexuality and Intimate Relationships     190
The Twin Enemies of Good Mood     215
Anxiety
Getting the Better of Anxiety and Worry, or Defeating the Alarmist     217
Overcoming Fears and Phobias     235
Stress: How to Live with the Right Amount of It     254
Dealing with Panic: Controlling the Alarm System     270
Depression
Depression-The Common Cold of the Mind     283
Digging Yourself Out of Depression     294
How to Become Less Vulnerable to Depression     315
Traumatic Experience     323
Loss and Bereavement     325
Dealing with the Past     342
Recent Traumatic Events and Their Aftermath     367
Mind and Body     387
Breaking Habits and Stopping Smoking     389
Averting Problems with Alcohol     406
Overcoming Sleep Problems     423
Good Eating Habits     434
The Working Mind     447
The Fundamentals of Effective Study     449
Key Study Skills: Reading, Taking Notes, and Using the Material     457
How to Improve Your Memory: Part 1: The Palest Ink and Other External Memory Aids     470
How to Improve Your Memory: Part 2: Internal Memory Aids     477
Making Decisions     492
Thinking Straight     502
Notes     513
Further Reading     515
Index     519