‘Anxiety and Depression’ is an excellent guide to applying mindfulness in your life. The book offers a wealth of information about anxiety and depression, detailing what the two conditions are, how to recognise and understand them, and most importantly, how to approach them. This book is about psychology and mindfulness, so has a broader scope than just anxiety and depression. As mindfulness is a concept that can be applied broadly, I found that the book speaks powerfully to the individual on a personal level.
Dr Rezek’s model is described as an ‘emerging mindfulness-based approach’ and is based around the key idea that life happens. Mindfulness is all about building up resilience to life’s challenges, finding an inner stability and relearning how to live in the present moment, an ability we all had as children but have since lost.
Dr Rezek employs a step by step approach to dealing with anxiety and depression. The book is divided into four parts, each important in their own right and each equally interesting. I especially liked reading the chapter ‘Facts, Figures and You,’ as it made me realise that anxiety and depression are conditions on a truly global scale. Mixed anxiety and depression is the number one mental health complaint in the UK, with 1 in 10 people suffering from depression at some point in their lives. Reading this book in the light of these statistics made me appreciate Dr Rezek’s work all the more. This book is an important and helpful resource, and not just for those suffering with depression or anxiety.
One of the most interesting parts of the book was the chapter dedicated to men and depression. This is an issue that is rarely discussed and yet is very important, especially considering that men have a higher suicide rate than women. The chapter details some of the symptoms of depression in men and how they differ from women, which is useful in helping people to recognise the condition, in themselves or their loved ones.
What I liked most about this book was its writing style. Clear and easy to read, the prose is nevertheless compelling. Dr Rezek’s tone is both reassuring and professional; the knowledge, experience and expertise gleaned from her career as a consultant clinical psychologist really shine through. The book is geared around helping people, and the short mindfulness exercises (such as a moment of stillness), as well as the links to audio resources, go a long way in helping people to apply mindfulness as a practical tool. The more I learned about mindfulness, the more I realised that it could be very useful to everyone, as a way of coping with life’s challenges.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about mindfulness and how it can be applied in your life. Detailed, interesting, and above all, helpful, this book is an excellent resource.
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