The Book of Overthinking

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!

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.

This book was an amazing read! It was so helpful and I really felt like I was heard for the first time. Getting to see my anxiety and overthinking-ness out on paper, was really amazing because I felt seen!