Do you lie awake at night worrying? Are you anxious about your own health and well-being? Do you stress about paying the bills, or wonder if you’ll be able to cover unexpected expenses? Do you obsess about politics or the state of the world in general? If the answer is “yes,” you are far from alone. In a world where the future is increasingly uncertain, it’s easy to wallow in what-ifs. But over time, anxious “chatter”—also known as your “monkey mind”—can get in the way of living a full and meaningful life. So, how can you quiet the monkey and stop feeling like you’re living in a constant state of emergency?
In this fun, illustrated book, psychologist Jennifer Shannon presents a 30-day anxiety-busting workout to help you increase your mental fitness and overcome your fear of uncertainty. Each daily exercise encourages you to embrace uncertain situations, rather than avoiding or attempting to control them. The more you work out, the more you’ll develop and strengthen a positive, flexible mind-set, and prove to yourself that you can handle much more than you thought.
You’ll also learn how to use everyday situations as opportunities to improve how you cope with uncertainty, reduce stress and anxiety, and be present in each moment. As you gradually change your behavior, you’ll notice positive changes in the way you think and feel, and begin to anticipate and process uncomfortable emotions without giving in to the monkey-mind chatter.
It’s normal to worry about what will happen next—especially in our uncertain world. But by sticking with the workout in this book, you can transform your mind-set and go from stressed and worried to relaxed and confident!
Jennifer Shannon, LMFT, is author of Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind, The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens, The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens, and A Teen’s Guide to Getting Stuff Done. She cofounded the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Santa Rosa, CA. She is a diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.
Foreword writer Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist who is board certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology. He is codirector of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy.