You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective / Richard Carlson
RATINGS
Overall: 3 / 5 stars
Text Level: Easy
Entertainment: Medium
Self-Help: High
Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality, Psychology, Therapy, Health
Page Count: 165
Is this book right for my inmate and me?
If your life is full of stress caused by a stream of never ending negative thoughts about yourself and the world around you, this book is excellent for you.
Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)
Restore your joy of living by controlling your thoughts.
Where does your happiness stem from? It stems from the same place your negativity comes from, you! Understanding that happiness comes from your own thoughts and outside forces do not control them is a key concept presented by Dr. Richard Carlson in this book.
In an easy format to follow, Dr. Carlson leads readers through five principles that allow individuals to gain a better perspective on life, while building a deeper level of peace towards happiness. Asking readers to focus on the principles of thought, moods, separate realities, feelings, and the present moment, the understanding of how we find ourselves falling into the trap of false realities of thinking start to be learned. The author teaches that our thoughts are just that, thoughts, nothing more. He discusses simply for readers how many of us often hold on to our thoughts, unwilling to let them go because we think they are reality. With these thoughts, we allow them to form our moods, feelings, and interactions based on wrong perspectives we have created. Thoughts are not reality. They are just thoughts we can chose to let go.
Many inmates find themselves constantly cycling through negative thought patterns, because they believe they have to be real. Prisoners make decisions and life choices based on these false ideas. What makes the situation worse for inmates is that much of our time is spent thinking negative thoughts about ourselves and others.
One great aspect about this book is that it not only teaches readers about how many of our negative thoughts, moods, and feelings come to us. But it also has clearly explained paths and strategies for healthy recovery. The book broken down into two easy sections, allow those seeking help to find the key areas of need that they might feel are hindering their life most. Whether it is in relationships, stress, problem solving, additions, habits or happiness, the simple chapters make for a short, powerful read. At the end of the day, controlling and freeing ourselves from our constant thought that come from within can lead to better mental health and happiness.