Books to help encourage positive thinking ?

Hello,

I'm not sure if it's strange to ask this question here but here it is:

I suffer from anxiety and depression and I'm looking for some good books to read to help encourage a more positive outlook. any suggestions?

Can't thank you enough for these suggestions !!

The Dhammapada.

Thank you for sharing. If anyone is looking for information on The Dhammapada : http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/scrndhamma.pdf

The Mindful Way Through Depression is good. Also, a change in diet can facilitate pretty serious changes in mental balance. Depression is an emotional manifestation of a physical imbalance. Granted, not all depression is dietary but I'd argue a fair chunk of it is. It might be worth trying to change eating habits.

Awesome points ! Diet has improved my over all appearance (lost Weight) which has helped raise my confidence and my mood.

@Vanine_28: For depression you could try comics (the happier ones as some can be quite dark) but reading stimulates the brain!

I'm inclined to question the validity of such generic reading materials. Depression is a manifestation of some ailment. If you want it remedied you'll have to address whatever that is ailing you. Unless you unravel that you'll most likely be treating symptoms not causes. It won't be too long before you relapse and the inevitable recrudescence of your depression will be intolerable since it'd be compounded by a sense of failure, not to mention the likelihood of the exacerbation of the underlying causes.

My advise to you is to put your current pursuit on hold until you've gotten to the bottom of your depression. Once you've achieved that, set out to find the panacea of your ailment, of which some felicitous reading materials should prove serviceable. I understand how it can be tempting to just get on with it and jump to the first thing that happens to come your way, but your chances of success are positively correlated with your thoroughness.

Only if you are not forced to read it, maybe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People#Reception

Do you currently have depression and are unable to treat it?

I was going to recommend some feel good fiction books until I realized that I don't think I've read a feel good fiction book in a very long time.

I don't know if this is specifically what you are looking for, but I find that Bill Bryson books tend to be both informative and humorous so I suggest any number of books written by him.

i read this book a few years back written by norwegian author erlend loe

it describes in fiction how a man feels unfulfilled from life coincidentally after falling on his bicycle, and so decides to go live in a tent in the local woods

a fairly short and easy read

'doppler'

"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, MD, PhD

"Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman, PhD

"Revolution" by Russell Brand

anything by Ekhart Tolle

DWU legend.

RIP DWU

The North remembers. Lol

DWU are still on a steam group, technically.

• The Iliad
• The Odyssey
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• Robinson Crusoe
• Oedipus Rex
• The Book of Proverbs

The reason I am recommending these is because reading an entertaining book can be fulfilling. According to Joel Feinberg, rather than seeking happiness, seeking fulfillment and letting happiness transpire naturally might be the best way to attain happiness. If you are seeking a more scientific approach to joy, I recommend the edX course, "The Science of Happiness."

Speaking of which, the OP should additionally look up "The surprising science of happiness" on TED.

personally I have a sign above my bed, just below the dream catcher, which reads

"HAPPINESS IS NOT A DESTINATION

IT IS A WAY OF LIFE"

"Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten."

HOLY CRAP WHAT GROUP

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/viva-dwu

@Lu_Bu01: TED Talks are great because they are informative and inspirational.

It isn't depression per say, but yes I've been dealing with a great deal of stress and baggage for quite the while now. Besides, it's pretty straightforward: there isn't a disease or a malady called depression; there is but such a symptom of some underlying cause. It stands to reason therefore to arrive at the conclusion that unless one treats the ailment he'll waste his life with symptomatic treatment. That's a best case scenario mind you since there's always the chance that such a treatment won't cut it anymore. Or haven't you seen how fragile most former sufferers of depression seem and how reliant they are on steadiness? let one thing change unexpectedly in their lives or some contingency to arrive and everything comes tumbling down. That's because they were taught to cope with it, but were told that they were cured of it.

Depression caused by obesity is a perfect example. Imagine that a fat person suffers from depression. His self-esteem is in the gutter and his body image is one of hideousness and revulsion. You can subject him to all the psychotherapy in the world for as long as you want and you can prescribe him all the drugs modern pharma has developed. He may get better after a long and arduous journey, but such convalescence is volatile and comes at an unreasonable cost. The alternative is so trite that I say it abashedly: tell that person to lose weight. I'm not dismissing the arsenal of modern psychiatry as serviceable instruments in the pursuit of a better life for the troubled; they need to be used, however, with an emphasis on actual treatment not coping.