I’ve already begun practicing controlling my monkey mind. Well, if this wasn't the most powerful book on anxiety I've ever read, then I don't read very much. I think this is mainly due to the fact that I have mostly overcome my (not too severe) anxiety myself and that the book was not very relevant anymore for me. Book Review: MONKEY MIND: A MEMOIR OF ANXIETY by Daniel Smith Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith. However, I felt as if she was sometimes sticking to concrete examples too much and therefore the book missed some depth for me. Publication date is February 4, 2020. Vibrant images from illustrator Alexander Vidal are paired with key phrases and short meditations or activities to help children learn about themselves without judgement. eBook. The author's recommendations are consistent with CBT therapies, ie: change the way you react to anxious symptoms, accept the feelings don't fight them, your thoughts are not reality. Books are critically important in our family – the saying around here goes, “I am always willing to spend money on books and Legos.” As a refresher, MyChild is 8-years-old, in second grade, reads on her own, and her current favorite books to read are the DogMan series and the Pig the Pug books. I love the concept of this book. In English-language publishing, fewer books are titled with "mind monkey", such as Master the Mind Monkey (Patkar 2007), than "monkey mind". Full disclosure, two people who read my reviews - I was asked to read this by my therapist. Be the first to ask a question about Don't Feed the Monkey Mind. Benoist called, “Addicted to the Monkey Mind, Change the Programming that Sabotages Your Life”. I wonder if it's because of all the S*&t we have to do, remember, care about or if we are just built differently? Create an “if-then” plan for times when monkeys start to get the better of you. These behaviors fuel a cycle of anxiety that always leads to a bigger dose.”, The Best of WILT Wednesdays (Part 2) - CC Hearing Things Audiobook Club, Burned Out? I identified more with the personal situations presented in showing the author’s methods for identifying and addressing “feeding the monkey” habits. To be completely honest, the reason I first noticed this book was that it was on sale. Unfortunately I just read it too late and I wish somebody gave it to me five years ago. For the first time I actually have hope and not just a resolve that I will be miserable with anxiety my whole life. Like many self help or motivational books, this one didn’t completely hold my interest. Or is it part and parcel of growing old, having jobs and families? Change ). We’d love your help. The author also gives some clear 'step-by-step' advice to overcome anxiety. This is a great book - it's very easy to read but it makes you think! Monkey Mind A Memoir of Anxiety. However, I felt as if she was sometimes sticking to concrete examples too much and therefore the book missed some depth for me. Lawson’s first book, a memoir of growing up dirt poor in rural Texas, was a hugely popular hit in 2012 and sat at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for weeks. Monkey Mind . Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Appreciation: John le Carré Arts and Culture In Review Best Television of 2020 Best Books of 2020 Best Mystery Books of 2020 Best Music of 2020 Simon & Schuster 2012 212 pages $25.00 Hardcover RC464 In this New York Times bestseller, Smith candidly but humorously presents his personal story of suffering under the yoke of acute anxiety, discussing his mother, losing his virginity, his favorite therapist, and a series of events which cause or have caused anxiety attacks. I love the concept of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely our own. Wiggle, wiggle! It has helped me to see that everything I do to stifle, avoid, hide, or distract me from my anxiety just “feeds the monkey” and makes my anxiety worse. As a person with plenty of mental illness issues the binary of positive or negative was difficult to choke on when other people shoved it down my throat. Monkey Mind. I enjoyed the concept as it was different from other self help books. MyChild: But my favorite activity was the Wriggly Worm one. These Books Explain Why You Feel That Way. I'm a card carrying member of they worriers' club and this book definitely addresses people like me. Raised in a neurotic family consisting of two anxious parents and a brother suffering from hypochondria, Smith’s (Muses, Madmen, and Prophets: Rethinking the History, Science, and Meaning of Auditory Hallucination, 2007) anxiety began in childhood. Even the three examples of patients she uses throughout the book have relatively simple and straightforward symptoms. Publisher: Little Pink Dog Books. Welcome back. Decent but the material was better covered in other books I have read recently. I think it was the over-simplifi. And aren't we lucky, ladies, that we are so much more prone to anxiety and depression? Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches Weight: 12 ounces. Yet, if you are a person with a mental illness, it is a prerogative, a right, and a survival mechanism to find the humor in your condition. A low-rent road to quick inner serenity with drifty Japanese-style flute music to speed the way. Author: Ralph De La Rosa. It became a little repetitive after a while though. And for the most part it's efficient and uses some anecdotal examples like Eric and Maria to sympathize with. Feeding our monkey mindset is what fuels our anxiety and the author explains how to quit doing that. For the first time I actually have hope and not just a resolve that I will be miserable with anxiety my who. I wanted so much to be a psychologist and help others. Brief Content. I came to this book during a period of high anxiety, and was able to apply there principles and techniques as I read the book. A very interesting and well-structured book, dealing with a common problem nowadays: anxiety. When my father died I worried obsessively that my mother could die too. Visit Rebecca J Palmer’s website for more about her and her book. But something didn't really click for me here. This book is currently available for pre-order. Table of Contents. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Instead of following the drive to perfection, safety and overprotection, the author suggests - through examples and charts - to rather face the anxiety and set-up elaborated expansion charts. Even though I am not an expert in anything and can always learn something, I resent the tone of these books, which I always take as condescending, no matter how hard I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt that it's not. The activities have a physical component blended with a mental- or emotion-based element. It confirms to my brain that whatever I am anxious about is indeed a dangerous threat and I need to panic. But something didn't really click for me here. “Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety”, Daniel Smith, like any other book on the topic, is no supposed to offer a silver bullet for how to overcome anxiety. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I literally could relate to almost everything in this book. In Monkey Mind, Smith articulates what it is like to live with anxiety, defanging the disease with humor, traveling through its demonic layers, and evocatively expressing its self-destructive absurdities and painful internal coherence. But I needed plenty of help myself. The book, however, will give you a realistic account of how it is to live with anxiety, and, hopefully, will help you gain motivation to seek support. by New Harbinger Publications. I think it was the over-simplification of the monkey metaphor paired with rather complicated solutions. Number of pages: 288. Navigate changing emotions with this beautifully illustrated meditation deck featuring 30 cards to help kids connect more deeply with themselves and others.Help your child become more focused, calm, and capable of dealing with overwhelming emotions. He describes the ways in which anxiety has shaped his personality, his relationships and his life, and also the things that have helped him loosen its grip. This book is a short but solid introduction to lowering the effect anxiety has over us. Reading Group Guide; Rave and Reviews; About The Book. I think this book can be very helpful for people that suffer from anxiety and want to have some insight in what is actually going on and how to take some steps to overcome it. Knowing the root cause of your problems is something very valuable, but author suggests that it's even more important to know what is it that you do that maintains your anxiety - and how to change that. Book title: ‘The Monkey Is The Messenger: Meditation And What Your Busy Mind Is Trying To Tell You’. Monkey Mind Review – The Monkey Mind Podcast By Alex Butt By Catherine October 4, 2020 A CEO, a Tourist and the Monk, Alex Butt, an Entrepreneur, The Monkey Mind Podcast 0 Instead of a book review I want to spoil you today with something else fun I discovered: The Monkey Mind podcast by Alex Butt. The reality is anxiety is often much messier and complicated and harder to figure out. I hated and loved being around crowds. I read (or actually listened to) this book because I have suffered from mild anxiety symptoms since my teenage years. A great book that breaks the loop of constantly analysing and trying to figure out what's happening to you and instead gives you the tools and perspective in order to move on with your life. Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Shambhala Publications through NetGalley. I was an anxious child, prone to stomach aches, missing school, and nightmares of a man who lived under the house. I try the "radical honesty" thing a little more as I get older. The “observing mind” offers an objective perspective free of judgments. My journey writing this book began as a 5 year-old, sitting next to my mother while she studied for her psychology classes. When I seen the title Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry I knew this book was for me and it sure was. It’s a good starting place. Daniel Smith’s Monkey Mind is the … The very things we do to control anxiety can make anxiety worse. Book reviews; Monkey Mind; Monkey Mind. I didn’t want to fill the world with another set of clinical self-help books. Refresh and try again. A very useful and strongly recommended read, especially if you are looking for a dramatic life change this year. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Trade Paperback; LIST PRICE £6.99 PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER. It was a quick and easy read, which helps when a person is struggling and wants to find fast tools to help. Illustrator : Rebecca J. Palmer. The only reason I’m not giving five stars is because the constant monkey talk got kind of irritating and sometimes it made it more difficult to understand her concepts. All I need to do now is get the wife to read it in the name of domestic peace & quiet. ( Log Out /  “Tales For Your Monkey’s Mind is a fun book, in the vein of Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, and Dr. Seuss – quirky and imaginative, with vibrant illustrations and themes of fantasy and wonder throughout…, The stories were fun and engaging, short and easy to read, and enjoyable ways to end the day. Suggested by my counselor for help with my anxiety/panic/obsessive thinking disorders. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. We like to think that we can easily keep our thoughts under control, but the truth is that the comparison to a monkey is actually incredibly relevant. I liked the idea of a "monkey mind", and definitely have all 3 main characteristics discussed in the book. The Monkey Mind Meditation Deck explores the playful and powerful qualities of animals and nature to inspire your child to discover the same qualities in themselves and others. Omg I felt like the author was inside my mind as she wrote this book. The Monkey Mind Meditation Deck explores the playful and powerful qualities of animals and nature to inspire your child to discover the same qualities in themselves and others. This mindset follows the logic: 'As long as I am certain, as long as I am perfect, and as long as others are okay, I will be safe, able to relax, and happy'. Intimate, compelling memoir exploring the boundaries of the author’s severe anxiety. If the answer is yes to these questions, you’ve found a safety strategy.”, “Resisting, avoiding, and distracting yourself from your anxiety are behaviors that send the wrong message to your brain. But I needed plenty of help myself. Full Title: Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety Author: Daniel Smith Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2012) Number of Pages: 212 How long it took me to read: 3 days Where I got this book: Amazon’s Kindle Store ISBN: 978-1-4391-7732-7 Like a Moth to a Flame. Mar 17, 2017 Brenda - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews rated it really liked it When I seen the title Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry I … ISBN number: 9781611805840. Daniel Smith's anxiety is matched by a wonderful sense of the comic, and it is this which makes Monkey Mind not only a dark, pain-filled book but a hilariously funny one, … Start by marking “Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Author: Rebecca J. Palmer. Here we go. Watch a 35-second YouTube video showing the process of making Monkey Mind. I hope it will be helpful even more when I take the time to truly practice more. . . ( Log Out /  Each chapter builds upon the previous chapter and follows 3 clients so you can see how it all works. It confirms to my brain that whatever I am anxious about is indeed a dangerous threat and I need to panic. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. One of the many useful recommendations is to start being more focused on our needs and cope straight forward with our challenges, including by taking risks. By getting to know the impulses that give rise to their actions, children can become empowered to make choices that truly serve them best. 'Devote 5 minutes to self-care before responding to anything you think needs to get done', is a very good beginning for the process of pondering the best decisions, one smart step at a time towards your goal to set limits to your 'monkey mind'. Simon & Schuster, July 3, 2012 ISBN 978-1-4391-7730-3 (Hardcover) Mental illness is a serious, grave topic. Feeding our monkey mindset is what fuels our anxiety and the author explains how to quit doing that. Monkey Mind is a rare gem.” ― Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Monkey Mind is fleet, funny, and productively exhausting.” -- Ben Greenman ― The New York Times Book Review “Superb writing [and] marvelous humor . Specifications. ( Log Out /  Monkey Mind is a rare gem.”, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Monkey Mind is fleet, funny, and productively exhausting.” -- Ben Greenman, The New York Times Book Review “Superb writing [and] marvelous humor . In it, the author advocates helpful strategies such as separating yourself from your anxiety (such as thinking, “Oh that’s just my monkey brain acting up again”), pushing yourself into your anxiety (in order to lessen your subsequent reaction to it), and reframing negative thoughts into necessary or empowering ones. I think this is mainly d. I read (or actually listened to) this book because I have suffered from mild anxiety symptoms since my teenage years. Vibrant images from illustrator Alexander Vidal are paired with key phrases and short meditations or activities to help children learn about themselves without judgement. Reviewed on 18 December 2020 18 December 2020. Daniel Smith’s book is an insightful and entertaining account of his experiences with anxiety. Advice on how to get him to shut his mouth, mostly in the form of lists. MyChild: My favorite picture was the Butterfly one. It has helped me to see that everything I do to stifle, avoid, hide, or distract me from my anxiety just “feeds the monkey” and makes my anxiety worse. Read what people think about Monkey Mind by Daniel Smith, and write your own review. I have struggled most of my life with it not really knowing what it was until the last 6 years ago. So I'm not entirely sure as to how I should rate this. I wanted so much to be a psychologist and help others. . The image of feeding the monkey just didn’t work for me. Invisible to his mother but plain to see most of the time in Ross’ amateurishly painted domestic scenes, a monkey embodies young Jeremy Jones’ restless thoughts and physical clumsiness. This book was a therapy homework read for me. 878 reviews In the insightful narrative tradition of Oliver Sacks, Monkey Mind is an uplifting, smart, and very funny memoir of life with anxiety—America’s most common psychological complaint. This book however words anxiety-inducing situations as ways to expand learning to become more confident. 9781439177303 Monkey mind; a memoir of anxiety. But overall I found the book to offer useful ways of thinking about anxiety as well as some useful tools. Of course, I could have just read these on my own and provided a review, but why not involves someone of the intended audience demographic. Reviews; Monkey Mind Tales® Book Series. This book is part of my journey to overcome an anxiety disorder I have struggled with my whole life. Comparing our thought process to that of a monkey may feel a little insulting at first. My counselor plopped it into my hands as a quick but effective assistant to my anxiety. The point of an “if … The patients in the book were a great way to gauge the independent factors of time and relationships and their counseling was focused on dealing with the dependent factor of anxiety. This book portrayed a very interesting view on anxiety in an easy, fluent style and I certainly liked the metaphor of "the monkey mind" and "feeding it". When my father died I worried obsessively that my mother could die too. This unique guide offers a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based approach to help you recognize the constant chatter of your anxious “monkey mind,” stop feeding anxious thoughts, and find the personal peace you crave. I have been known to call my anxiety Monkey Chatter and was able to relate well to to the anxiety, fears and worry describe in this book. The Monkey Mind Meditation Deck: 30 Fun Ways for Kids to Chill Out, Tune In, and Open Up by Carolyn Kanjuro. I would go home and analyze ever last thing I said hoping I didn't say the wrong thing or make people think I was a werido. The patients in the book were a great way to gauge the independent factors of time and relationships and their counseling was focused on dealing with the dependent factor of anxiety. Than I would get myself so tired up in knots I wouldn't be able to eat or sleep for days on end. By Daniel Smith. Unlike so many books that expound platitudes that address true, but of little utility when you need to apply them, this boom is purely pragmatic - it gives you tangible and practical tools and techniques to address your anxiety and stop the cycle. Instead of following the drive to perfection, safety and overprotection, the author suggests - through examples and charts - to rather face the anxiety and set-up elaborated expansion charts. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. March 30, 2019 Would have been good to have more examples and exercises. 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