Holiday Mental Health

"Do you have a parent who is invalidating, critical, demanding, or hateful? In this important and much-needed guide, you'll learn how to set boundaries; uncover the hidden motives behind your parent's behavior; put a stop to repetitive, hurtful interactions; and foster healthier relationships. There's no sugarcoating it--if you grew up with a parent who made you feel invalidated or unloved as a child, your pain is very real. In some cases, you may decide that you want to remove this parent from your life, and that is a valid choice. But for many people, dealing with a problem parent becomes a necessary part of life, for whatever reason. If you're one of these people, this book can help. If you've "had it up to here" with a parent who makes you feel as though you're just not good enough, this invaluable guide can help you put an end to toxic interactions while maintaining peace in your family" -- Publisher.

"Does this sound familiar? You walk away from an argument and suddenly think of all the brilliant things you wish you'd said? You avoid family members and colleagues because of bitter, festering tension that you can't figure out how to address? Now, finally, there's a solution: a secret that frees you from the trap of unproductive conflict and pointless arguing forever. If the threat of raised voices, emotional outbursts, and public discord makes you want to hide under the conference room table, or if you're simply sick of unresolved arguments that never produce useful results, you're not alone. Conflict, or the fear of it, can be devastating. And the process of minimizing, deflecting, or avoiding difficult people can leave you brimming with repressed emotions. But as this powerful book argues, conflict doesn't have to be unpleasant. In fact, properly channeled, conflict can be the most powerful tool we have at our disposal for deepening relationships, solving problems, and coming up with new ideas. As the mastermind behind some of the highest-performing teams at Amazon, Twitter, and Slack, Buster Benson spent decades facilitating hard conversations in stressful environments. He found that even smart, eloquent people struggled to stay calm and keep their heads clear when differences of opinion arose. So he set out to find a better way to argue, staging a succession of experiments and informal debates, and studying the participants closely. He took note of the scripts people defaulted to and the chain reactions they caused. Slowly, patterns began to emerge. Buster's findings shattered his assumptions about what makes some arguments productive and others not, and dramatically improved his relationships at work, with his wife, and with strangers online. In this book, Buster reveals the psychological underpinnings of awkward, unproductive conflict, and the critical habits anyone can learn to avoid it. Armed with a deeper understanding of how arguments work and why, you'll be able to: * Remain confident when you're put on the spot * Diffuse tense moments with a few strategic questions * Facilitate creative solutions even when your team has radically different perspectives * Get through to the most stubborn people by understanding their motivations Freed of your fear of disagreement, you'll find yourself eager to engage with intimidating people and uncomfortable ideas. You'll end up having fewer repetitive, predictable fights, not because you're avoiding or squashing them, but because you're finally able to identify your biases, listen with an open mind, and communicate well. As your confidence grows, you'll shake off lingering memories of interactions that made you feel tongue-tied or incapable, knowing that it's in your power to steer the conversation wherever you want it"-- Provided by publisher.

"Relieve anxiety, fear, and worry for good! Fully revised and based in the latest research, this second edition of Coping with Anxiety includes the latest DSM updates and provides immediate, user-friendly, and effective strategies to stop anxiety at its source,"--Amazon.com.

When a loved one dies, the pain of loss can feel unbearable, especially in the case of a traumatizing death that leaves us shouting, 'NO!' with every fiber of our body. The process of grieving can feel wild and nonlinear and often lasts for much longer than other people, the nonbereaved, tell us it should. This book is a companion for life and most difficult times, revealing how grief can open our hearts to connection, compassion, and the very essence of our shared humanity. The author, who is also a bereavement educator, researcher, Zen priest, and leading counselor in the field accompanies the reader along the heartbreaking path of love, loss, and grief. Through moving stories of her encounters with grief over decades of supporting individuals, families, and communities, as well as her own experience with loss, the author opens a space to process, integrate, and deeply honor our grief.

"Many resources exist for sufferers of major depression. Yet millions struggle with less severe mood states that may not be as debilitating, but still drain the joy out of life. Renowned cognitive-behavioral therapist David A. Clark has a clear message for those who feel stuck in the doldrums: there are doable steps they can take to feel better. This book's 80 effective self-help strategies are anchored in the latest scientific knowledge on emotion regulation and mood management. Readers learn why attempts to bury or ignore painful emotions usually fail--and gain practical tools for nipping negativity in the bud, making unhappiness less overwhelming, defusing self-criticism and rumination, and feeling more confident and hopeful every day. Helpful forms and checklists can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size"-- Provided by publisher.

"In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Kenneth Doka explores a new, compassionate way to grieve, explaining that grief is not an illness to get over but an individual and ongoing journey. There is no "one-size-fits-all" way to cope with loss. The vital bonds that we form with those we love in life continue long after death--in very different ways. Grief Is a Journey is the first book to overturn the prevailing, often judgmental, ideas about grief, and replace them with a hopeful, inclusive, personalized, and research-backed approach. New science and studies behind Dr. Doka's teaching upend the dominant but incorrect view that grief proceeds by stages. Throughout Grief Is a Journey, Dr. Doka tells encouraging stories of his clients and other individuals, all working through unique losses. In doing so, he helps us realize that our experiences following a death are far more individual and much less predictable than the conventional "five stages" model would have us believe. Common patterns of experiencing and expressing grief still prevail, yet many other life changes accompany a primary loss. For example, the deaths of parents, even for adults, modify family patterns, change relationships, and alter old family rituals. Unique to this book, Dr. Doka also explains how to cope with disenfranchised grief--the types of loss that are not so readily recognized or supported by society. These include the death of ex-spouses, as well as non-fatal losses such as divorce, the end of a friendship, job loss, or infertility. In addition, Dr. Doka considers losses that might be stigmatized, including death by suicide or from disease or self-destructive behaviors such as smoking or alcoholism. Since no two people experience grief in the exact same way, Grief Is a Journey offers a variety of self-help strategies for coping with grief. It delineates the many ways we can create personal and private therapeutic rituals throughout our grief journey. This book also offers counsel on when--and where--to seek professional assistance. And finally, Dr. Doka reminds us that, however painful, grief provides opportunities for growth"-- Provided by publisher.

"In this life-changing book, acclaimed Buddhist teacher Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche shows how to free yourself from being a victim of your emotions by gaining the awareness and understanding that will help you harness their power. Emotions bring color and meaning to our lives, but they can also put us on an exhausting rollercoaster ride that takes us to blissful peak states, the depths of delusion and despair, and everything in between. It is only by learning to relate to our emotions skillfully that we benefit from their richness and glean wisdom, rather than letting them control us."-- Provided by publisher.

Presents a step-by-step program for recovering from loss, discussing the concepts of grief and recovery, the extent to which people are prepared to deal with loss, and the active decision to recover.

"A scientifically proven program to alter the body's physical baseline response to stress-working specifically with heart rate-to fine-tune reflexes and perform at maximum potential"-- Provided by publisher.

"The originator of the much studied - and much proven - eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, Jon Kabat-Zinn, outlined a simple yet powerful approach to help anyone coping with the stress of a variety of psychological and physiological challenges. The authors, two of the leading MBSR teacher trainers in Europe, are ground readers in the practices that have been studied and proven effective. These include mindfulness meditation, walking meditation, eating meditation, Yoga, and Body-Scan. The authors provide step-by-step instructions, as well as illustrative real-life examples. Readers considering a course in MBSR will find information and inspiration while practitioners will gain a valuable tool for their teaching. Anyone experiencing or treating chronic challenges of mind, body, or spirit will find practical, motivational help here"-- Provided by publisher.

A simple and accessible approach to de-stressing your life. Gain a solid understanding of how stress works in your body, common triggers, and the impact of chronic stress on your life and health. Learn powerful techniques to prevent and manage stress, even if you only have a few minutes a day.