Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (David D. Burns)

What it is

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy is by David D. Burns, a psychiatrist who helped bring cognitive therapy to the general public. It was first published in 1980 and revised in 1999. On his own site Burns describes it as having sold over 4 million copies, and it is one of the most recommended self-help books on depression. It has also been studied as a self-guided form of CBT, sometimes called bibliotherapy.

The ideas that matter most

• Your thoughts shape your moods. Many painful moods follow a thought that feels true but is bent out of shape. Change how you read the situation and the feeling often shifts.
• The cognitive distortions. A list of common thinking traps, such as all-or-nothing thinking, mind reading, fortune telling, labelling and "should" statements. Naming them makes them easier to spot.
• Write it down. The core exercise is a written log: the event, the automatic thought, the distortion in it and a more balanced response. Doing it on paper works far better than doing it in your head.
• Action before motivation. When you feel low you wait to feel like doing things. Burns argues the order is usually the other way round: small actions come first and the mood follows.
• Self-worth is not earned by achievement. A large part of the book takes apart perfectionism and the idea that your value depends on marks, approval or success.

Honest limits

This is a self-help book, not treatment. It can help with mild to moderate low mood and with everyday self-criticism. If you have had low mood most days for two weeks or more, if you cannot function, or if you have any thoughts of harming yourself, please speak to a doctor, counsellor or psychologist. The book is a good companion to therapy, not a replacement for it. Some examples and the medication chapter are dated, so take medical questions to a doctor.

Who it suits

Students and early-career people who are hard on themselves after a bad exam, a rejection or a comparison on social media, and anyone who likes structured, practical exercises.

How to use it well

• Read one chapter a week, not the whole book in a weekend.
• Do the written exercises. Reading without writing gives you the ideas but rarely the change.
• Keep a small notebook for the daily mood log and look back at it after a month.
• If your mood is not improving, or is getting worse, take that as a sign to get professional help.

Pair it with on Sefism

• Work through Looking after your mental health. If you are struggling right now, use Find A Helpline.
• Use the thought-catching exercises with Building real confidence and Handling rejection and setbacks.
• For advice on your own situation, ask Tauseef a question.

Best for: learning to answer your inner critic on paper, with CBT tools you can use for life.