The Feeling Good Handbook and Feel the Fear and Do it anyway!
As a mum-to-be your night stand or Kindle may be heaving with all the books you intend to read before baby arrives but which will actually help you and which won’t? As a mum of an older child which books supported you to get a grip on motherhood and become the mum you want to be?
There are many “traditional” pregnancy books and we will certainly review these but following on from yesterday’s post on CBT and helping you to relax and get a good nights sleep, I believe these are two of the very best at helping you with life’s changes and challenges. Pregnancy and becoming a parent is possibly, and quite probably, the biggest (and longest running) life change you will ever experience and along with all the joys and happiness, there will be times that are not easy or plain sailing. Having these as part of your parenting toolkit can only help.
The Feeling Good Handbook by David Burns is a classic and if you follow and apply the methods it does what it says on the tin. It’s not exactly a “light read” but I found it very clear and easy to follow and it was a huge support after I returned to the UK from Australia at the end of 1999 to early 2002 and was going through quite significant life changes. I was a newly qualified therapist working all hours to re-establish myself in my new career, single for the first time in my adult life, faced financial instability having previously earned a very good salary and there was a distinct lack of sunshine! This book helped me learn how to take responsibility for my thoughts, actions and choices – and yes, I started feeling better!
Feel the Fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers was in my library before I returned as a gift from my reflexology teacher. Its easy to read, simple and the basic “Whatever happens to me, given any situation, I can handle it! ” is incredibly powerful. We all have fears and as a new parent these will be more emotionally charged than normal so whilst not written specifically for fears around pregnancy, birth or motherhood its basic message can easily translate.