Cover Image: The Book of Overthinking

The Book of Overthinking

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Member Reviews

If you’re an over thinker like me this is a book for you! Get out of your head with these practical tips by the amazing Gwendoline. I will definitely be recommending this book in my therapy groups.

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I wish I read this book in college. I was an average student growing up, but I feel like I was always more stressed about what other people thought of me than a typical teenager. I worried about the little things in life and I constantly thought of "worst case" scenarios. It's nice to know that I wasn't the only one feeling that way. I really enjoyed reading this book because there are solutions available for every scenario presented. I'm able to take actions to get to a better place and I really liked how everything was broken down into bite-size pieces. I really enjoyed the Me vs. You conversations and the ABCD (Situation, Thoughts, Feelings, Thought Virus) examples with the charts. The only thing that creeped me out were most of the illustrations. It's not that the artist wasn't good, it just wasn't my cup tea. Overall, it was a great book and easy read. For someone not in the field/industry, I learned quite a bit!

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I was completely drawn in by the title, as anyone will tell you I suffer from overthinking, not just your generic “oh she thinks too much” but the kind that adds to my pessimism and makes me think the worst of everything. I have always lived by the mantra that “you cannot be disappointed if you don’t expect good things” which I know is a pretty negative way to live life, hence why I felt this book would be perfect for me and was I right?

“When you are truly comfortable in your own skin not everyone will like you, but you won’t care one bit”

This book written by Psychologist Gwendoline Smith explains in clear and accessible language the concepts of positive and negative overthinking, the truth about worry, and how to deal with the "thought viruses" that are holding you back. She helps you understand what’s going on in your head—using examples, anecdotes, and plenty of humour—and she offers powerful strategies for addressing your issues.

This book delivers exactly as it promises, and there is a large amount of knowledge and help that can be taken away from the book. The illustrations are great little inclusions, and the questions that are included throughout the book are great and really gave me pause and activities to do in the hope I could find my trigger or find a way to change my behaviour or outlook on life. The books format is great it is easily accessible and easy to read, as well as having the ability to dip in and out of the book.

I like the fact that the author also includes the biological responses to over thinking as well as the mental, it is interesting to notice the body’s response, and make a note of it to try and change the though process. Plus, the fact that the author broke down the CBT theory (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to explain just exactly what it is and how it works, and how the reader can adapt this to their own life. Plus adapting it into the ABC guide/table really helped in regard to noticing the thoughts, feelings, physical responses and behaviours, and how to use this table to adapt a new way of overcoming the negative responses is very helpful and different to any “self-help” book I have read previously.

The inclusion of the activities and flashcards towards the end of the book are really helpful too, I have found myself saving the “worry decision map” and have already used it a few times! Plus having the ABC templates as tools for any experience that I go through is fantastic. Either way this novel is a fantastic and insightful read that I am grateful to have the pleasure of reading and using.

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This is a must-have resource to help one improve mental health, resiliency, and live a more full and happy life. It is full of great strategies, advice, and easy to implement ideas. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

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This book was weeks of therapy in a beautiful package. The information was so informative and balanced. I appreciated the suggestions on how to retrain your brain and to also to identify “thought viruses” I first read this courtesy of NetGalley but I’d definitely purchase a hard copy of this book to refer back to and to make use of the supplemental material like the flash cards and tables. Very good read and so practical for today! The illustrations in the book were also a very nice touch and quite humorous. I highly recommend.

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I found this book easy to read and understand. It helps you to understand what overthinking is and when it is a problem. Lots of useful tips to help you manage over thinking and worrying.

There are some useful flashcards and worksheets at the back of the book.

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I really liked this book. I found several great tidbits that I plan to implent in my everyday thinking process. It explains the thought process of worrisome over thinkers, thought viruses, how thoughts effect behavior, and processes to change the negative ways of thinking. Already looking at purchasing the paperback :)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this read now title.

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#NetGalley #TheBookOfOverthinking

I loved the book's title as I have noticed overthinking often seems to plague the students I teach (college). I would recommend this book to students who struggle with this, and enjoyed reading it myself. Highly recommended for those who struggle with anxiety or overthinking. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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This book felt almost like a mini therapy session. As someone who ruminates over everything and always goes to the "worst case scenario", this put things into perspective and made me understand my own brain a little bit more. I also liked that Smith inserts humor which is much needed for this type of book.

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I enjoyed this book. I am a chronic worrier and I can be a catastrophizer. The book gives clear explanations for overthinking and concise tools for trying to manage it. The wording is plain, simple, and conversational. Interestingly, the chapters are written in such a way that each one represents a single therapy visit, with the reader as client and Gwendoline Smith as therapist. The book makes good use of analogies and examples. The illustrations are informative and cute. The only thing in the book I didn’t like was that sometimes Smith was self-promotional with reference to her previous books. Overall this book is well worth reading, with lots of tips. Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the digital review copy..

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I’ve always been an overthinker and I found this book useful. I will keep referring back to it, whenever I need to as it is a great toolkit.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

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This book is amazing and so incredibly helpful! I highly recommend to all the other ruminators and worriers out there! The author writes in a way that is easy to understand and the book is interesting and not a bore. It’s helpful, insightful and can make a big impact on your life like it did mine. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this life changing book!

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A good introduction to cognitive-based therapy and how to use it to combat anxiety. The information is portrayed in a very easy-to-understand way for the layperson, and I enjoyed it for its simplicity and quick read. The flashcards were very handy as well, and they would serve as good reminders for anyone to have on hand for easy reference and so forth.

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