A Lucid Mind - Bipolar, Photographs, Life, Blogs and eBay

Im a Book Whore! How many books do you read cover to cover? Book habits.

DIGG This
Read a interesting article in the Guardian this week about the number of books that people simply do not finish reading.

Or if you are like me, buy and don't even start!

I was glad to read I was not the only one who would suffer at the pages of a tiresome book, lulled into buying by a great looking cover and yet another 'best seller' statement.

Trust your instincts if nothing else

NOTE FROM GRAHAM
Since reading Malcom Gladwell's book, 'Blink' I have become considerably more comfortable in my own ability to make the 'correct' decision as a 'snap judgement', instinctual response, emotional or anger, practical or in practical, right or wrong. It would seem for me anyway that my  instinct has been proven right on many occasions which can only fill 'me' with more confidence about the 'inner workings' of 'me' as a person.

It's only if I allow time to doubt myself that it all goes horribly wrong (some would argue my whole life is horribly wrong). Malcom, through many studies and examples gives a convincing case that our instinct is 'mostly' the correct response in any given situation. It is a great book, not huge, so a easy swift read. He also has a web site, www.gladwell.com and Blog (blog is lacking in recent entries). The book will no doubt leave you feeling a lot more self assured. That's ofcourse if your instincts have generally been spot on. If not, then maybe you should give it a miss! :0)

This following study from University College of London, reinforces this understanding of the human mind.

What should I do with my life? - Po Bronson

This book gave me so much hope, and still does to a degree.

At a time when all hell was braking loose around me. Only months before reading this I had my Breakdown, admitted myself into The Priory for a 5 week 'get your head around this brain fuck of a diagnosis'.

During this admission I decided to leave my career and sell my home, so unilaterally disarmed and detonated all that I had spent the better part of my adult life trying to acquire and achieve.

(No small thing Mr. Indeed it is not. Something I like to remind people on a pretty regular basis. I did all the things that most people only dream about. Now look at me, I traveled, took time out and now I run my own enjoyable and successful home based eBay business which allows me to structure my life the way I want it structured. All because of a seemingly random and 'popular modern past time', having a Breakdown in work hours. Nice.) 

Dorothy Rowe - The Successful Self

MY BIT
Read this about 16 months ago now. Still of those books that you get a massive 'feel good' from reading. Dorothy has such a down to earth approach.

She has quite a portfolio of books, and I am almost through reading them all.

Many times I came across examples where it was one of those, 'so it's just not me then.' Or, 'glad I was not imagining that.' etc. Littered with examples and advice that actually have real word use.

She has such clear insights into areas of depression and psychology and leaves you in no doubt that you benefiting from her words. These are books that I will read again, as they contain so much information, far to much to take in one sitting.

Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman

MY BIT
This book I cannot recommend highly enough. It was a therapist, whilst I was at The Priory, who suggested it would be a valuable book to read if one wanted to try and understand a bit more about 'emotions', the brain and everything related.

This book changed my outlook on many levels, not least that it made me feel much more confident in my own abilities and it allowed me to trust my emotions (I am highly emotional) and to not be a slave to them or ashamed of them.

Taming Your Gremlin - A surprisingly simple method for Getting out of Your Own Way

This was the first book I purchased when I was first in The Priory after my diagnosis. It became my bible and constant companion throughout the 5 weeks I was at The Priory. I would take it with me every time I went 'off-site' to go to Costa's and would sit in the sun reading this book.

I liked it so much that I even thought about re-printing it in a more portable format, more pocket friendly. Still might...

The Complete Guide to Psychiatric Drugs

This is invaluable if you are anything like me and need to know the fundamentals on each type of Psychiatric Drug. Helps you make your own informed decision or if you are just curious.

Amazon Book Description
Complete information about suing psychiatric drugs and other treatmentsFrom Atavan to Xanax, tens of millions of people are taking psychiatric medication or considering it for their problems. In this comprehensive consumer guide, Dr. Drummond helps the reader determine which symptoms will improve with medication and which will not. He explains how to use psychiatric drugs sensibly and safely, describing all side effects and how to manage them...

Sunbathing in the Rain-A cheerful book about Depression

This is one of my 'lighter' reads, but the message is clear as air.

So clear, you would find it hard to actually envisage any depressive being able to convey the thoughts and feelings in a way that a non-depressive might actually have a chance of understanding. Gwyneth manages this in style, humour and decency.

It's a smallish book and will not take long to read, it is littered with wonderful quotes and phrases.