The Depression Toolkit: Quick Relief to Improve Mood, Increase Motivation, and Feel Better Now

by William J. Knaus EdD, Alex Korb PhD, Patricia J. Robinson PhD, Lisa M. Schab LCSW, Kirk D. Strosahl PhD

Overview

Your toolkit for managing and overcoming the worst symptoms of depression—quickly and effectively.

In an increasingly stressful world—filled with fear and uncertainty—the prospect of effectively managing your depression can seem overwhelming. Add to that the all-consuming grind of day-to-day life, and things can get overwhelming in a hurry. Everyday tasks can seem like insurmountable challenges, your symptoms pile up, and relief slips further out of reach. Your mood becomes darker, your sense of isolation more extreme, and your motivation falls through the floor. What you need is relief—and STAT!

Written by a veritable dream team of mental health experts, this short, easy-to-use guide offers evidence-based skills grounded in mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and behavioral activation to help you effectively manage negative thoughts, get motivated, rediscover hope, and develop healthy habits. Designed to get right to the point, this book wastes no time in giving you the tools you need to quickly improve your mood, get unstuck from difficult feelings, and stay on top of symptoms before they build up and get the best of you. The sooner your symptoms are under control, the sooner you can get back on track—happier, more motivated, and looking forward with hope.

If you’re the type who likes to cut through the clutter and get to the heart of the matter, pick up this book, and pick up the tools inside—relief is only pages away.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781648480065
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	136
Sales rank:	488,418
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

William J. Knaus, EdD, is a licensed psychologist with more than forty-six years of clinical experience working with people suffering from anxiety, depression, and procrastination. He has appeared on numerous regional and national television shows, including The Today Show, and more than one hundred radio shows. His ideas have appeared in national magazines such as U.S. News & World Report and Good Housekeeping, and major newspapers such as The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. He is one of the original directors of postdoctoral psychotherapy training in rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Knaus is author or coauthor of more than twenty-five books, including The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety, The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression, and The Procrastination Workbook.


Alex Korb, PhD, is a neuroscientist, writer, and coach. He has studied the brain and mental health for more than fifteen years, starting with an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Brown University; before earning a PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is author of The Upward Spiral and The Upward Spiral Workbook, and is currently adjunct assistant professor at UCLA in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. Outside of the lab, he is available for personal coaching, consulting services, and speaking engagements. He is head coach of the UCLA Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, and has a wealth of experience in yoga and mindfulness, physical fitness, and even stand-up comedy.


Patricia J. Robinson, PhD, is director of training and program evaluation at Mountainview Consulting Group, Inc., a firm that assists health care systems with integrating behavioral health services into primary care settings. She is coauthor of Real Behavior Change in Primary Care and The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression. After exploring primary care psychology as a researcher, she devoted her efforts to its dissemination in rural America, urban public health departments, and military medical treatment facilities.

Lisa M. Schab, LCSW, is a practicing psychotherapist in the greater Chicago, IL, area; and author of 20 self-help books, including The Anxiety Workbook for Teens, The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens and the teen guided journals, Put Your Worries Here and Put Your Feelings Here. She has been interviewed as an expert on the Milwaukee television stations WTMJ-TV and WISN-TV, by The New York Times, Scholastic Choices magazine, Teen Vogue, Psych Central, and Kate Shannon’s Creative Therapy Umbrella podcast. Schab has authored regular mental health columns for Chicago Parent Magazine and The Sun Newspapers. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).


Kirk D. Strosahl, PhD, is cofounder of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a cognitive behavioral approach that has gained widespread adoption in the mental health and substance abuse communities. He is coauthor of Brief Interventions for Radical Change and In This Moment. Strosahl provides training and consultation services for Mountainview Consulting Group, Inc. He is a pioneer in the movement to bring behavioral health services into primary care.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Find Refuge from Negative Thoughts

Activity 1 Choose Positive Thoughts 4

Activity 2 The Breath of Life 7

Activity 3 The Gift of the Moment 10

Activity 4 Find a Positive Metaphor 15

Activity 5 Depressive thoughts as Hypotheses 15

Activity 6 Detect Depressive Deceptions 17

Activity 7 What Timeline Are You On? 20

Activity 8 Identify Sticky Thoughts 25

Activity 9 Thank Your Mind 25

Activity 10 Sticky Moments 27

Activity 11 Hack Your Brain Chemicals 29

Activity 12 Find a Bummer Buddy 31

Part 2 Get Unstuck When You're Down

Activity 13 Learn to Let Go 34

Activity 14 Healthy Self-Esteem 38

Activity 15 Follow Meaningful Pursuits 40

Activity 16 Identify What Can't Be Changed 42

Activity 17 Sleep Hygiene 101 45

Activity 18 Convert Negativity into Positive Goals 48

Activity 19 You Are Flaw-Some 50

Activity 20 Avoid Avoidance 52

Activity 21 The Free Trial Membership 55

Activity 22 Hugs and Handshakes 57

Part 3 Beat Hopelessness and Low Motivation

Activity 23 Procrastination Flip Technique 60

Activity 24 The "Just Do It" Method 63

Activity 25 Challenge Hopelessness 65

Activity 26 Stranded 67

Activity 27 Observe Your Judgments 70

Activity 28 Loving-Kindness Practice 72

Activity 29 Make Snap Decisions 74

Activity 30 The Anti-Laziness Rule 76

Activity 31 Give Yourself Affirmations 77

Activity 32 Write a Thank-You Letter 79

Part 4 Make Easy Habit Changes That You'll Thank Yourself for Later

Activity 33 Food to Help Your Mood 82

Activity 34 Act on the A's 85

Activity 35 Get Outside Yourself 87

Activity 36 Overcome Discomfort Dodging 92

Activity 37 Boost Your Emotional Vocabulary 94

Activity 38 Take the Middle Path 96

Activity 39 Identify Positive Emotion Targets 98

Activity 40 Super Sleeping 100

Activity 41 Create an Emergency Plan 103

Part 5 Deal with the Tough Stuff

Activity 42 Handle Social Rejection 106

Activity 43 Manage Seasonal Affective Disorder 108

Activity 44 Repair Rips in Your Relationships 111

Activity 45 Cope with Change 114

Activity 46 Avoid Self-Soothing with Substances 117

Appendix: Additional Help and Support Resources 119

References 121