Discover the amazing science for reclaiming your humanity and being happy!
We all feel it sometimes - all of us, we really do. Tired, hopeless, stretched too thin, a little scared about the future, a sense that something important is missing. Modern life is unbelievably stressful, and it comes at us from all sides. But there’s also an upside to the modern world: in our age of better information, technology, nutrition, and healthcare, we’re using our smarts to develop a science that can help us feel happier and more connected to our lives - and it really does work.
In Thriving Mind, Dr. Jenny Brockis draws on deep research and 30+ years of helping people solve persistent and serious problems to provide science-based strategies for overcoming them - as well as the habits to help avoid them in the future. Walking you through common issues such as loneliness, stress, relationship breakdown, loss of social connection, and mental health issues, Dr. Brockis shows that there are practical ways to alleviate or even banish these difficulties - and to reclaim a sense of meaning and vitality you might not have felt in years.
- Discover how happiness works and how to engage your full spectrum of emotions and mindfulness to achieve it
- Harness your natural biology (it’s worked for thousands of years!) for better energy, resilience, and mood
- Connect with your superpower of social and enrich your relationships with compassion, respect, and courage
- Take full control of your life by giving up on counterproductive short-term solutions and the blame game
Whatever your worries, it’s important to remember you’re not alone, and that by using the tools and strategies outlined here, you can take real scientific steps toward reclaiming your humanity - and start doing the things today that will bring a brighter tomorrow.
Table of Contents
About the author xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction xvii
Part I: Disruption 1
1 Don’t panic, but dinner is burning in the oven 3
2 Reconnecting to what matters 25
Part II: Happiness 31
3 Purpose and meaning - for a reason 39
4 Grateful for gratitude 49
5 Helping out helps everyone 57
6 Mindfully yours 65
7 Laugh and play makes your day 85
8 Mindset - dial up the positive 99
Part III: Thriving 113
9 Rest and recovery - the key to resilience 117
10 Sleep - not just for the wicked 131
11 Food to boost your mood 153
12 Exercise as medicine 173
13 Music and dance 191
14 Blue and green - complete the scene 203
Part IV: Human 215
15 Trust and respect 225
16 Kindness and compassion 243
17 Empathy: ‘I feel your pain’ 253
Conclusion: The times are a-changin’, and so can you 263
A note from Jenny 273
References 275
Index 291
