*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author and Zoé of Zooloo's Book Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: How much do you enjoy your life?
Does life feel dull? A bit grey?
Do you feel as if your emotions have flatlined?
This is anhedonia – a word only a few of us have heard of but one that explains why so many of us feel we are sleepwalking through life.
Anhedonia is from the Greek word for 'without pleasure' and describes a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It explains why many of us spend our lives in a fog, feeling neither happy nor sad, just not very much at all.
In the first book to tackle this missing piece in mental health, writer Tanith Carey joins the dots on how convenience culture, stressful lifestyles, modern diets and both female and male hormonal changes can dial down our ability to feel excitement and joy.
With the help of world-leading experts and by digging into the latest research, Tanith shows you how your brain's dopamine reward system works and provides strategies to help you bring colour back into your life.
Groundbreaking, accessible and often surprising, this is the book that will teach you how to kickstart your feel-good chemicals and start loving life again.
I've noticed more and more of us feeling the effects of the modern world on our mental health and emotional wellbeing, perhaps due to the constant bombardment of bad news and divisive rhetoric, or the instant access to everything we can think of. So I was keen to get a new perspective on this burnout and how it could be remedied.
This book is full of lots and lots of information, research and facts about brain chemistry, neuroscience and how the reward system and stress-reaction system in our brains function (dopamine, seratonin, oxytocin, adrenaline, noradrenalin, cortisol). The main thrust of argument in the book is that this understanding of anhedonia (or feeling 'blah') and the brain processes involved in it is the primary tool we have to begin combatting it.
There are plenty of other practical tips to help move the brain processes away from anhedonia and into a more contented, colourful quality of life, including mindfulness, healthy eating and exercise, avoiding SSRIs (where possible) and eliminating sources of addiction (whether phone, porn, drugs or more), spending time in nature, reducing inflammation in the body, pursuing hobbies and activities that you enjoy and practicing daily gratitude. Most of these ideas will be familiar to anyone already dealing with chronic illness or mental health issues, but the author's approach via brain chemistry provides a new way of approaching the issue.
Particularly of practical use to me was the author's advice to follow those 'glimmers' of enjoyment or 'sparks' of inspiration and motivation, and to keep going even if you feel like it isn't making a difference, because the changes will happen slowly and almost imperceptibly if you persevere. I was inspired, after finishing the book, to dig out my anti-inflammatory cookbook, create some new meditation and exercise playlists and research my local pool timetable and guitar lessons in my area, so I consider the book valuable for that alone!
If you find yourself feeling a bit 'meh', or 'blah' or everything just feels a bit grey and samey day after day, then this is the self-help book specifically targeted to address what you are feeling and support you with it. I - sadly - think most people would benefit from reading it these days.
About the author
Tanith Carey is the author of 13 books, mainly specialising in psychology and parenting.
Her latest book is Feeling 'Blah'? Why Life Feels Joyless and How to Recapture its Highs, published by Hachette.
Following its hardback launch in April 2023, where it was widely covered in outlets ranging from The Times to Reader's Digest and Psychologies magazine, it will be published in paperback in April 2024.
Tanith's next book, to be published in February 2024, is 'What's My Tween Thinking? Practical Child Psychology for Modern Parents', with clinical psychologist Angharad Rudkin, for DK books.
This is the third in a highly successful series of books which also includes 'What's My Child Thinking?' for parents of two to seven year olds, and 'What's My Teenager Thinking?' for parents of 13 to 18 year olds. The new one covers the intervening years from 8 to 12.
These books are now in more than 35 foreign editions, including Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian and Chinese.
The unique and accessible guides are the first to clearly use child psychology and development to examine real-world challenging situations - looking at the thinking of BOTH parent and child in the moment to create connection. Tanith also holds a Certificate in Therapeutic Skills and Studies, and combines journalism and book writing with her training for a Master's Degree in Gestalt psychotherapy at London's Metanoia Institute.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanithcareytherapy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Feeling.Blah.Book
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TanithCarey
Website: https://cliomedia.co.uk/books
Don't forget to check out the other blog stops on the tour for more great reviews and content (see the poster below for details)!
