Blumenthal - 52 small changes for the mind: Improve Memory, Minimize Stress, Increase Productivity, Boost Happiness

TO ALEXANDER
My personal happy machine.
May your life bring you as much
happiness as you bring me.

Copyright 2015 by Brett Blumenthal.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Blumenthal, Brett.
52 small changes for the mind / Brett Blumenthal.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-4521-3167-2 (pb)
ISBN 978-1-4521-4148-0 (epub, mobi)

1. Mental healthPopular works. 2. Stress management.
3. Well-being. I. Title. II. Title: Fifty-two small changes for the mind.

RA790.B5569 2015
616.89dc23

2014039167

Designed by Amanda Sim

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

SMALL CHANGES WORK. I know they do, because Ive seen the results among many of my readers and other individuals whove abandoned the change everything at once approach for one that is geared toward making small changes over time. It makes sense: small changes are less overwhelming and more realistic, and they give us a sense of accomplishment more quickly. Regardless of the change a person wants to make, three things remain true: any major change actually requires many smaller changes; taking an all-or-nothing or extreme approach doesnt work; and small changes that we can manage and master feed our desire to succeed.

In my first small changes book52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier YouI prescribe a small change each week for 52 weeks, so that by the end of the year readers are happier and healthier. The approach is holistic and addresses four dimensions of well-being: diet and nutrition, fitness and prevention, mental well-being, and green living. As I conducted research for 52 Small Changes it became all too clear that I could have easily prescribed countless small changes within each of these categories.

When thinking through which topic of change I wanted to address next, I personally found the category of mental well-being (a.k.a. mental wellness or mental health) to be especially compelling. For many, maintaining good mental health is a bit elusive compared to maintaining good physical health. Understanding diet and nutrition or maintaining an exercise regimen is much more straightforward: you are either eating healthy or you arent; you are either exercising or youre not. Moreover, when we are physically unhealthy, the symptoms are undeniable: we gain weight, we lose energy, we struggle with everyday tasks, and we feel lousy. Mental well-being, on the other hand, has more gray area. For starters, most of us dont look at the whole picture when it comes to our mental well-being. We tend to focus on only one aspect: our happiness. While having good mental health most definitely means feeling happy and fulfilled, it also means that we can manage stress; we have a positive outlook on life; we can focus and concentrate when needed, so we are productive; and we can remember things easily. Some might even argue that a happy, healthy mind is the most important aspect of our overall health.

52 Small Changes for the Mind uses the approach of making small changes over the course of a year and applies it specifically to improving mental well-being. As with my first book, the changes prescribed are comprehensive, addressing multiple areas instrumental in achieving optimal mental health: stress management, concentration and productivity, memory and anti-aging, and of course, overall happiness and fulfillment.

Over the course of the next 52 weeks, I hope youll find the changes to be fun and relatively easy to implement, and that youll enjoy the process. The goal? By the end of the year, you should be able to manage stress, be more productive, remember more, ward off disease and aging, and feel happier and more fulfilled.

THE 52 SMALL CHANGES FOR THE MIND program is designed to encourage small yet meaningful changes that will ultimately lead to the big change of enjoying a happier, healthier mind. There are no gimmicks in here; just a clear, simple approach to help you be happier for the long term.

The idea is simple: make one small change per week for 52 weeks, and at the end of the year youll feel less stressed and more productive, youll remember more and ward off disease and aging, and youll feel more fulfilled. This book is designed so that you can give yourself a year to make changes, which allows you to slowly integrate them over time, so they are more likely to stick for the long term.

Each change comes with an explanation of why it is important, as well as a Path to Change, which provides tips and recommendations to help you successfully implement the change. With each weeks success, youll be inspired to move on to the next weeks change so that within a year youll have mastered all 52 changes.

Finally, to support you over the next 52 weeks, Ive provided tools, worksheets, and other resources in . I highly recommend you use these to stay motivated and on track throughout the program.

THE PROGRAM OUTLINED in 52 Small Changes for the Mind takes an integrated approach. At the beginning of each weeks chapter, youll see an icon signifying which of the four areas the change addresses. The changes have been organized so all areas are addressed throughout the 52 weeks, rather than in sequential clusters. This will keep you engaged, interested, and motivated and allow you to comprehensively make progress. The icons are as follows: