The Four Thoughts That F**k You Up by Daniel Fryer

My review

3/5 stars

This was a quick audiobook listen for me and it was a middling one.

I found the introduction to the idea of REBT useful and informative, provoking thoughts on a deeper level of research and what I could be doing differently in my ongoing mental health fight.

I also appreciated the umbrella structure to the four types of thoughts as a way of bringing yourself up out of the depths of finer anxious or negative thinking and aiming your focus at something bigger than the detail of each debilitating thought.

Even though the author was upfront about the fact that his content was purposefully repetitive, I did find it quite challenging to stay engaged for some of the anecdotes the second and third time around, especially in audiobook format.

Book blurb

Whatever life throws at you, learn to deal with it in a healthier and more rational way.

When it comes to destructive emotions and unhelpful behaviours, you are your own worst enemy. Rather than people or situations driving you to depression, distraction or doughnuts, all too often it’s your own unhealthy beliefs and thought habits that hold you back and f**k everything up. But, what can you do about it?

Highly Experienced REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy) psychotherapist Daniel Fryer can stop these thoughts from messing up your life using a simple but effective model.

In The Four Thoughts that F**k You Up … And How to Fix Them he reveals the four unhealthy beliefs that hold you back (Dogmatic Demands, Dramas, I Can’t Copes and Pejorative Put-Downs) and shows you how to replace them with four healthy beliefs (Flexible Preferences, Perspectives, I Can Copes and Unconditional Acceptance) – in as little as six weeks. Yes, you read that right: Just six weeks to a new you.

Developed in the mid-fifties by psychotherapist Albert Ellis, REBT is known as the first form of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Not only is it an effective therapy, but it’s also an excellent philosophy for every day life. With this model, Daniel will help you identify a specific personal challenge and then reframe how you react to it, leading to a calmer, happier you. This approach is especially helpful if you struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, anger or self-doubt, or if you want to improve your relationships with family, colleagues and peers or, simply, yourself.

When you free your mind from the thoughts that f**k you up, you’ll never look at anything the same way again. Want to get started?

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You can buy the book here now. It was published by Penguin Random House.

For more on the author, you can head to his website, follow him on Instagram, or check out his Goodreads page.