"How to Make Good Things Happen is a well-researched book on managing your stress and anxiety levels – and how to see the positivity in every situation. An interesting read."
How to Make Good Things Happen is a well-researched book on managing your stress and anxiety levels, and how our mental health influences our physical health and day-to-day lives. Written by an American psychiatrist, it’s not a quick read or self-help book, but is more of a scientific look at our hormones and how our brain works in relation to our emotions – love, sadness, happiness, guilt – especially at times of stress. To combat stress, we need to train ourselves to see positivity in all situations, rather than focusing on negativity, and we also need to learn how to stop overthinking. The book uses practical approaches based on science, including the evidence for mindfulness and omega-3 foods in brain health. I loved the case studies dotted around the book – short stories about people the author has met over the years, some as patients and others just in passing. The book seeks to help its readers see the good in everything so that they can lead a healthier, more fulfilling life. An interesting read.
For those in pursuit of a better life, psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estape presents the essential guide to neuroscience-driven mindfulness. Understanding your brain, managing your emotions and being aware of your responses to stressors can give you greater self-control. Rather than a gimmicky guidebook, this is a thorough look at how our brains react to stress, threats, hyperstimulation and the vices of our digital age. With proven techniques backed by solid, up-to-date psychiatric research, Estape teaches us how to make the best of our lives.
Combining science, psychology and philosophy, Estape delivers practical advice about how we can cultivate a happy existence. This includes understanding the parts of the brain, setting healthy goals and objectives, strengthening willpower, cultivating emotional intelligence, developing assertiveness, avoiding excessive self-criticism and self-demand, and mastering the proven art of optimism.
Marian Rojas Estape, MD, is a psychiatrist working with the Spanish Institute of Psychiatric Research. She gives talks around the world on her research into happiness and stress management. Estape lives in Madrid, Spain.