cover image Shake It Off!: Build Emotional Strength for Daily Happiness

Shake It Off!: Build Emotional Strength for Daily Happiness

Rafael Santandreu. Arcturus, $14.99 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-83940-659-1

Psychotherapist Santandreu (Nothing Is So Terrible) takes a practical look at finding happiness, spurred by an observation that many of his clients’ problems were rooted in their tendency to “awfulize,” or only consider the down-side of things. Awfulizing, he writes, creates a ripple effect, and constantly assuming the worst can easily become a habit that’s difficult to break. To help readers embrace a healthier outlook, Santandreu provides a rating scale, ranging from “great” to “awful,” that can be used to evaluate a situation, adjust one’s perspective, and balance emotions. Breaking the awfulizing cycle requires perseverance, he writes, and the work is not simple. For example, Santandreu encourages readers to process feelings of irritation, nervousness, despair, or fear through his rating system and then to assess these emotions after being removed from the immediate situation. However, the straightforward lessons might be too brusque to some: “Thinking of one’s own death is one of the best mechanisms for becoming more mature and for gaining emotional strength,” and “In nature, there is no such thing as fairness.” Santandreu’s tough love approach will help readers looking to stop negative self-talk and transform their inner dialogue. [em](Jan.) [/em]