Book Byte #87 "Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?" by Julie Smith

Everyday Tools for Life's Ups and Downs

📣 Curious Quotes from the Author

“Thoughts are not facts. They are a mix of opinions, judgments, stories, memories, theories, interpretations, and predictions about the future.”

“The thing about the human brain is that, when you believe something, the brain will scan the environment for any signs that the belief is true.”

“When you are low on energy, the chance of exercising goes down, along with your mood. Low mood gives you the urge to do the things that make mood worse.”

“When we focus on trying to fix the problem, it is easy to underestimate the power of simply being there.”

“The more work we do on building self-awareness and resilience when all is well, the better able we are to face life’s challenges when they come our way.”

“You have to get to work being your own coach instead of your own worst critic.”

“When we feel anxious about something, the most natural human response is to avoid it. We know that if we stay away, we’ll feel safe, for now. But avoidance not only maintains anxiety, it makes it worse over time.”

“Thoughts are not facts. They are suggestions offered up to us by the brain to help us make sense of the world.”

“Emotions are your brain’s attempt to explain and attach meaning to what is going on in your world and your body.”

“It reminds us that our mood is not fixed and it does not define who we are; it is a sensation we experience.”

“Physically moving your body can help to shift your mind when it is otherwise very difficult.”

“But humans are not built to be in a constant happy state. We are built to respond to the challenges of survival.”

“Something that I have come to realize over the years of working as a psychologist is how much people struggle with low mood and never tell a soul.”

“You might notice that you feel the need for more reassurance from others when your mood is low. If you don’t get that extra reassurance you might automatically assume that they are thinking negatively about you. But that is a bias, and it is quite possible that you are your worst critic.”

“Just as thoughts are not facts, feelings are not facts either. Emotions are information, but when that information is powerful, intense and loud, as emotions can be, then we are more vulnerable to believing in them as a true reflection of what is going on. I feel it therefore it must be a fact. Emotional reasoning is a thought bias that leads us to use what we feel as evidence for something to be true, even when there might be plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise.”

“we have to focus on making good decisions, not perfect decisions. A good decision is one that moves you in the direction you want to go.”

“If we associate failure with unworthiness, then starting anything new is going to feel overwhelming and procrastination will be front and centre. We protect ourselves from the psychological threat of shame by sabotaging the process before it gets started.”

📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea:

We investigated how we can improve our overall mental well-being by identifying unmet needs that cause emotional pain, focusing on "good enough" decisions that gradually lead us to where we want to be, confronting our fears to boost our confidence and keep anxiety at bay, and nurturing our relationships and caring for one another when we're down.

Please keep in mind that, while this Blink offers suggestions for improving our mental health on our own, professional aid may still be required at times. If you are concerned about your mental health, seek professional help from a therapist. If professional assistance aren't available to you, research resources to learn everything you can about rehabilitation and be sure to rely on family members and friends for help.

🛠️Fixing the Tech Industry

We as Technologists usually have some form of High Anxiety, usually relating to social aspects of our lives. In emergency situations involving Tech, we thrive, but have us to a party and “mingle” man, that’s rough.

If we focus on our feelings and thoughts as manipulatable, then we can have more control over them than we realize.

🤝Collaborate with others with this Social Media Prompt:

Why do you feel society has so much pent up anxiety recently?