Stop Thinking, Start Living

Stop Thinking, Start Living
Richard Carlson

Revolutionary in its simplicity and accessible to all, this bestselling book offers commonsense methods that allow you to let go of depression and tap into natural joy.In this indispensable handbook, Richard Carlson demonstrates how we can change everything in our lives – earn more money, meet new friends, get a new job – yet still feel dissatisfied. Happiness, he says, is not 'out there' but within, a state of mind that is independent of circumstance: 'If you begin to see that your thoughts are not the real thing – they're just thoughts and as thoughts they can't hurt you – your entire life will begin to change today.'Carlson's step-by-step guide explains:• How your thoughts determine how you feel.• Why thinking about problems only makes them worse.• That thoughts come and go – you are free to choose at any moment which to hold on to and which to let go.• Straightforward methods for conquering depression.• How to dismiss negative thoughts and discover inner contentment.• How to overcome lifelong pessimism and start really living.

Copyright (#ulink_19a6ee5b-034c-5134-be4a-93143b515b4e)

HarperElement

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 london Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

and HarperElement are trademarks of

HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Originally published as You Can Feel Good Again by Thorsons 1993 First published by Thorsons 1997 Published by Element 2003 This edition published by HarperElement 2012

39

FIRST EDITION

© Richard Carlson 1993

Richard Carlson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

Paperback ISBN: 9780722535479

Ebook edition © August 2012 ISBN: 9780007383092

Version 2016-10-21

Contents

Title Page (#u4a1ae7e3-d989-5d4d-914b-6df75b11bc5c)

Copyright (#ulink_20757866-d5ab-57d8-9f78-afa20b3a7930)

Introduction (#ulink_792bd8eb-da1d-57b7-86f4-b6ae67951982)

1 Possibilities (#ulink_a4d4fb76-518b-540e-a5d8-11b9b92c72d3)

2 Your Thoughts and the Way You Feel (#ulink_24143ed9-b610-5ac2-b965-12ced071300d)

3 Healthy Psychological Functioning (#ulink_73e3f058-4acf-56bc-8073-8526cb28671c)

4 Dismissing Thoughts (#litres_trial_promo)

5 Wisdom (#litres_trial_promo)

6 Thoughts Grow with Attention (#litres_trial_promo)

7 Thought Systems (#litres_trial_promo)

8 Choice Points (#litres_trial_promo)

9 The Thinking Habit (#litres_trial_promo)

10 Moods (#litres_trial_promo)

11 Living in the Present Moment (#litres_trial_promo)

12 Life Is Like a Pendulum (#litres_trial_promo)

13 Mental Health and the Dynamics of Unhappiness (#litres_trial_promo)

14 Grief and Loss (#litres_trial_promo)

15 Illness and Death (#litres_trial_promo)

16 Many Problems, One Solution (#litres_trial_promo)

17 Unhappiness Is Your Curriculum (#litres_trial_promo)

18 The Art of Optimism (#litres_trial_promo)

19 Happiness and Gratitude (#litres_trial_promo)

Footnotes

List of Searchable Terms (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Introduction (#ulink_f57e9ac1-4000-50e4-81e7-364ebb211375)

I respectfully ask that you try to forget everything you have ever been told about unhappiness, pessimism and depression – where these feelings come from, how serious they are, and how difficult they are to overcome. Try to forget about all the attempts you have made that have failed and all the approaches that promised results but did not deliver. Even though I am going to explain how you can begin to feel better today, I don’t ask you to believe me with blind faith. Instead, I ask that you use your own common sense when evaluating what you are about to read. By the time you finish this book I believe you will not only feel better, but also understand exactly why most approaches failed you before.

The way to get the most out of this book is to approach it with an open mind. See whether it makes sense to you and if it sounds like something that you already know intuitively. Some of what I propose will be quite different from what you have been exposed to before. Don’t let this be an obstacle to getting the help you deserve. Keep in mind that if what you have already learned was the answer you were looking for, you wouldn’t be reading this book today. You would be out enjoying your life.

The information given here is different because it represents a new understanding in the field of mental health. It doesn’t build on other approaches you may already be familiar with. If you can digest and ‘take to heart’ the information in this book, you will feel better right away. There is very little effort involved; all you have to do is understand what you read on an intuitive level and make a gentle effort to put your understanding into practice. As you will see, I don’t offer any fancy techniques or any sophisticated psychological theories to sift through. What I offer you is a simple yet profound commonsense-based understanding of mental health and happiness that really works, and that can be implemented immediately. I have seen people who have been unhappy or depressed for as many as 30 years walk away from my office feeling better than they can ever remember. And what’s more, the good feeling you will learn to tap into sticks with you.

I am a stress-management consultant who teaches people some very simple facts about their own internal functioning – what makes them tick and what makes them fall apart. The principles that I teach are generic, meaning they apply to everyone. I receive referrals from therapists around the country who have seen their clients rid themselves of depression as a result of what I teach. As people learn about the habitual processes that contribute to their own misery, and the ways that they use their own minds to sabotage their lives, they quickly discover a natural and relatively effortless way to escape the grips of unhappiness and lifelong pessimism.

My approach is based on a set of principles known as the Psychology of Mind.