Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr Caroline Leaf

I have often wondered why, when we know the right thing to do, it is so hard to actually do that right thing. We know all about eating right and exercise yet are overweight and sedentary.

This book provided me with the reason right action is so hard and gave me a strategy to develop it. Changing thoughts is hard work and changing thoughts is required for changing actions. It takes 21 days of mind management work, Leaf writes, to change a thought and 63 days to see that thought into action, forming a habit.

It's hard work to change but Leaf gives us the tools we need. This book contains a clearly defined strategy of five steps from toxic thought to beneficial action. She thoroughly explains the steps, gives suggestions how to complete each step, and gives examples from her own life. I really like that her steps and the transition that results have been verified by clinical trials.

I highly recommend this book. Cleaning up toxic thoughts and establishing a well being mindset is not easy work. It will become a daily practice. Everything you need for most work is included in the book, though Leaf does note that some trauma work may require the assistance of a professional.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist with a Masters and PhD in Communication Pathology and a BSc Logopaedics, specializing in cognitive and metacognitive neuropsychology. She is the author of several books and journal articles. Her videos, podcasts, and TV episodes have reached millions globally. She currently teaches at various academic, medical, and neuroscience conferences, as well as churches around the world. She and her husband live with their four children in Dallas and Los Angeles. You can find out more at http://drleaf.com.

Baker Books, 320 pages.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)