Olivia Remes - The Instant Mood Fix: Emergency remedies to beat anxiety, panic or stress

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Dr Olivia Remes is a mental health researcher at the University of Cambridge, a public speaker and a life coach. She has researched mental health issues such as anxiety and depression and coping strategies. She is a regular speaker on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and has appeared on Womans Hour and NPR. Her work has been featured in publications across the world. Her Ted Talks about anxiety, loneliness and coping solutions have garnered nearly 3 million views. This is her first book.

I dedicate this book to my mom who has not only survived some of the toughest hardships life can offer, but is the perfect example of someone who can bounce back no matter what. She has been the guiding light in my life.

Im a scientist at the University of Cambridge where, for nearly a decade, I have been researching what makes people thrive in life and bounce back from difficult situations. Through my Ted Talks, seminars and discussions with hundreds of people, I discovered that there are 10 types of thinking patterns and feelings 10 bad moods that keep people from reaching their potential. These moods are extremely common, but if you leave them to fester long enough, they can have a significant impact on your well-being and happiness. Through this book Id like to help you identify these moods, get past them and bounce back.

This isnt just a book; its a package of science-based strategies that tackle key areas of your life: your mindset, social life, work and personal struggles. Based on my research and the interactions with people who have come to my seminars and presentations, I have created a toolkit with coping strategies that you can practise anytime, anywhere to become more optimistic, more decisive and more confident.

As you advance through this book and apply these tips and tricks, you will feel yourself becoming more relaxed, like a quiet strength has been born within you. You will feel that life is becoming a daily source of satisfaction, and when this happens, you will feel yourself slowly transforming. I want you to see this book as a prescription, with some remedies to use in moments of crisis, and others to take in small doses but which will have a huge cumulative effect. Each chapter in this book is short and will take you approximately 20 minutes to read through. But when panic hits, you may wish to focus on the short-term advice at the start of each chapter, which often takes no more than 2 minutes to read. Use these to shift your mood when the going gets tough and you just need a pick-me-up. Each chapter deals with a different mood so that you can dip in as needed and can go directly to the strategies youre looking for.

These are the 10 moods that I want to help you with:

• Feeling indecisive
• Feeling unmotivated
• Feeling out of control
• Feeling stressed
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling anxious
• Feeling lonely
• Feeling rejected
• Feeling low
• Feeling let down

Each chapter is structured as follows (look out for these icons in each chapter!):

Section 1: Read in case of emergency. This is a quick read of no more than 2 minutes and itll help you pull yourself out of a difficult moment.

Section 2: Quick science. The background information on the psychology of the moods, feelings and emotions in question. This is a short summary that gives you insights into what happens to you on a psychological and/or neuroscientific level and how other people are affected by these emotions too.

Section 3: How to cope. Long-term strategies to tackle a particular mood or feeling. This is an in-depth development plan for you to build resilience and cope with setbacks.

No matter the hand youve been dealt in life and where youre at now, you will find tried and tested, creative and achievable solutions that will help you.

When my mothers cancer returned two summers ago, I felt one of the feelings Ill be talking about in this book overwhelm I didnt know which way to turn. Life suddenly didnt seem to make sense anymore and I felt disconnected from the world. I turned to the 10 strategies and practised them whenever I felt low. Slowly, I noticed my own inner strength increasing. It felt like invisible hands had lifted me from the ground back up and I could get back on lifes saddle. I wrote this book to show you that there are simple, effective ways for dealing with challenging moods and getting you back in the driving seat.

This chapter shows you how to make decisions and become more decisive. Whether youre struggling with deciding which job to apply for, where to move to, or which shoes to buy, you will discover strategies for making decisions with confidence. It will also help you to make decisions with greater ease and let go of the fear that holds you back.

If it takes you a long time to make up your mind or youve been relying on other people for reassurance or to make decisions for you, this chapter will show you how to turn this around. Its all about how to take control of your life and live with intent.

• Go with your first instinct when it comes to complex decisions. Researchers at the University of Amsterdam showed that the more complex the decision, the better it is to go with your initial gut reaction. If the choice is a relatively simple one, such as which towel to buy, then weighing up the pros and cons can be helpful. But paradoxically, the more complex the decision, such as which furniture or car to buy, the better it is to let your unconscious brain guide you. And to trust your intuition.